


The Caz Solus Chronicles: The Clone Wars

by theparacosm



Series: The Caz Solus Chronicles [1]
Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Black Sun (Star Wars), Blood and Gore, Characters Of Every Sexuality, F/F, F/M, M/M, No Weird Shit Here, Pansexual Character, Sith Cults, Super Tragic, Tags May Change, War Crimes, not that it matters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-10
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-17 08:02:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 37,200
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29963379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theparacosm/pseuds/theparacosm
Summary: “In war, great events are caused by small things.”
Relationships: Anakin Skywalker & Ahsoka Tano, Asajj Ventress/Quinlan Vos, Barriss Offee & Ahsoka Tano, CT-7567 | Rex & Anakin Skywalker, Darth Maul & Savage Opress, Dooku | Darth Tyranus & Palpatine | Darth Sidious, Hego Damask | Darth Plagueis & Sheev Palpatine | Darth Sidious, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Original Male Character(s), Obi-Wan Kenobi/Satine Kryze, Padmé Amidala & Obi-Wan Kenobi & Anakin Skywalker & Ahsoka Tano, Padmé Amidala/Anakin Skywalker
Series: The Caz Solus Chronicles [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2203818
Comments: 3





	1. Introduction

**War on the horizon! With the REPUBLIC and the SEPARATISTS**

**gunning for control of the galaxy, the JEDI ORDER continues**

**to battle for the good of the people, while the SITH**

**plot their eventual fall.**

**Meanwhile, on the peaceful planet of BIREDAI, a young man**

**by the name of CAZ SOLUS convenes with his clanmates**

**on the matter of missing Force-sensitive children!**


	2. Children of the Force

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A thief hunted! After a daring escape from Ahsoka Tano and Anakin Skywalker, Cad Bane begins to kidnap Force-sensitive children from all over the galaxy! As the Jedi scramble to secure the future of their Order, a strange meeting occurs on the Matukai homeworld of Biredai...

_ “Dream as you will live forever, live as you will die today.” _

* * *

**“So, were you guys just not going to tell me that the Sith were back in action?”**

Vash Kothari glared at the other four individuals in the bedroom, who looked up at him from their positions on his hammock, desk, and chair. Two of them looked apologetic, one of them looked frustrated, another was solemn as ever.

“Vash,” Jaena said cautiously as the Espirion turned his yellow-eyed stare towards her. She didn’t flinch at the clear anger and slight betrayal in his gaze. “Why do you think we called this meeting? Our intentions were to tell you, but it seems you’ve discovered it all on your own.”

Vash looked at Jaena, who glanced up at him with her calm expression, and turned away, tattooed brows furrowed. “Why didn’t you tell me this morning?”

“We only found out an hour ago, you moron,” Akysa said sharply, well-aware of her friend’s situation but unwilling to give up her brash attitude. “We all came here as fast as we could, but we have lives outside of dealing with your issues.”

Vash crossed his scarlet arms, unfazed by Akysa’s tone. He knew she was speaking the truth, and seemed to calm down at this. “You’re right, you’re right. Why didn’t the Council tell me, though?”

“If they knew about it, they’d tell you,” Tyvokk murmured in Shyriiwook. “I’m supposed to be finishing out my mission on Rodia, but I came back here as fast as I could to inform you.”

“What’d you see?” Vash asked, his expression growing worried.

“ _ I  _ didn’t see anything,” Tyvokk murmured, running his furry paws through his mane of whitish fur. “But Republic forces came to investi--”

“The Jedi?” Akysa asked, a certain amount of venom in her voice at the notion. 

“Let him finish, Akysa,” Caz said slowly, and Akysa turned to him, her expression turning sheepish as she looked at her clanmate. 

“Yes, Akysa, the Jedi were there,” Tyvokk replied softly, his voice a rumbling growl. “The Sith...they hired a bounty hunter to kidnap Force-sensitive infants.”

Vash’s expression turned livid, skin paling to a rosy pink, his fists clenching in his robes. His akk dog, Pylades, whimpered at his master’s frustration. “What?”

“You heard him, Vash,” Jaena said sternly, her amber eyes never leaving her friend’s trembling form. “According to what Tyvokk relayed to me earlier, the bounty hunter managed to grab the child.”  
“ _Kark_ ,” Vash said through gritted teeth, before turning to look at Jaena, his anger falling away into desperation. “We have to save them--they can’t go through what I did.”

“The Council won’t let you go on a vengeance mission,” Akysa said brusquely, and Tyvokk grimaced. “Control yourself, Vash. You know better than to fall back on past teachings.”

“Right, right,” Vash said shakily, his fists unclenching as he inhaled slowly, calming himself. “You’re right...for the second time.”

“I’m almost always right,” Akysa said, attempting to lift the mood while still remaining somewhat sensible. “As lenient as the Council can be, they’re not going to let you work against the Sith.”

“And I’m glad they don’t,” Vash said, rubbing his temples. “I don’t want to face them again. I worry that I’ll relapse.”

“You wouldn’t,” Caz said reassuringly. “There’s never a situation where you’d have to face them alone--you’ve got us, and you’ve got Master Charr.”

“We’re your tethers,” Tyvokk said, standing up and rubbing Vash’s shoulder. The Espirion smiled slightly, turning and looked at Tyvokk and Caz gratefully.

“That being said,” Jaena said, lacing her fingers in her lap and straightening her back, “I’m sure the Jedi are capable enough to solve this on their own.”

Vash’s smile faded, and Jaena realized she made a mistake. She opened her mouth to apologize, but didn’t get the chance. “Like they did with me?” 

“She didn’t mean it like that,” Tyvokk said, and Vash shrugged the Wookie’s hand off his shoulder--he was no longer angry, more resentful. 

“Tyvokk’s right,” Akysa said, and Jaena’s lips turned downward, the only hint of her disagreement. Her training as a negotiator kept her from saying something she might regret. “The Jedi are highly incapable when it comes to saving children from the clutches of the Sith. They’re incapable of saving children in general.” Her tone was bitter, and Caz looked back at her again. “Don’t say a word, Caz--you’re still as naive as ever.”

Caz was silent and Jaena sighed. “We should move off the topic. We all knew that this would be a sore spot for you guys,” she looked at Vash and Akysa, “I’m sorry for bringing it up, but the issue needs to be resolved. If you two don’t believe the Jedi can save the children, then I suppose one of us can go and help them out.”

Everyone pondered this for a moment, before Caz smiled brightly. “We’ve all agreed that I’m going, right?”

“Yeah,” everyone muttered. 

“It’s your break week, right?” Jaena asked, and Caz nodded. “Sorry, I’d generally keep up with that, but I’ve been occupied.”

“The Council’s not gonna like it,” Vash said, seeming to relax at the concept of a Matukai on the job of rescuing the children. “Their dealings with the Jedi haven’t been...amiable.”

“If they find out,” Tyvokk said mischievously, a glint appearing in his red-brown eyes. 

“They’re not gonna miss me for a few days, right?” Caz asked, giving Pylades a little scratch behind the ear as he looked up at Tyvokk. “If they ask, you can just tell them I’m--”

“--off on another adventure,” Tyvokk said with a rumbling laugh belying his young age. “They won’t doubt it for a second: their favorite problem child going off-world to do something potentially dangerous? Sounds like Caz.”

“I’m not a problem child!” Caz protested, and everyone chuckled in silent disagreement, and Caz slumped. “Maybe a little bit, then.”

“Just a tad,” Jaena said good-naturedly. “Now that that’s settled, I’ll be off. I have to get back to Promencius Four--they’re awaiting me for a peace treaty. On your way out, Caz, please notify Eilara to start cleaning off the  _ Hypnos _ . It would be improper to arrive in an untidy ship,” she said, looking pointedly at Vash.

“Mine isn’t that bad!” Vash yelped, his mood lightening now that Jaena was joking around--since she was the eldest of their initiate clan, her mood tended to influence everyone else’s. 

“It smells like akk dogshit,” Akysa said teasingly, and Pylades whined at the implication. “Poor Eilara--did you even  _ try _ to clean it up, dude?”

“I hear they’re making a second hangar just for you, Vash,” Tyvokk said, and the Espirion let out a snort. 

“I think they should just transfer you to Mayoshi,” Caz said jokingly, getting to his feet. “Hopefully all the flora will cover up the stink.”

“Shaddup,” Vash said, clapping his friend on the back. “I don’t have to take it from you, Vomit Boy.”

Caz’s green eyes widened comically as everyone let out more laughs. “You promised you wouldn’t bring that up!” He looked down at his robes like the vomit might still be there. “Low blow.”

“Akysa’s not the only one who fights dirty, apparently,” Jaena said, and Caz huffed, picking up his backpack from the foot of Vash’s bed. “I’m  _ sure _ it’ll be brought up again during your promotion speech to Matukai Master, whenever that may be.”

“Thinking on it, this might delay your promotion,” Akysa said with a dry laugh. “I hope your dreams don’t cancel each other out.”

Caz let out a strangled noise, and Vash shrugged. “No going back now!” He gave Caz a gentle Force-push out the door, and shut it behind him. “Bye!” He yelled through the door.

“Catch you later!” Akysa said as Caz stared at them through the frosted glass, unable to hear them.

“Look after yourself,” Jaena said to him, and Caz nodded along as Vash flicked a button to defrost the glass. 

“So long!” Caz mouthed, before slipping out of view. 

After a few minutes, the other four Matukai began to filter out to tend to other business--Jaena to her negotiations, Tyvokk to his reconnaissance mission, Akysa to her training, and Vash to his meditation with Pylades at his side.

* * *

Ahsoka thought it was about damn time to get back at Cad Bane for kidnapping her two days ago. Revenge wasn’t part of the Jedi way, but Ahsoka figured that if you’re going after the guy who stole a Jedi holocron and kidnapped a baby, it was a forgivable offense.

It was a bit of a strain on her arms and legs, being curled up in a cabinet inside of a Force-sensitive child’s bedroom, but it would be worth it. She could sense Cad Bane’s life form directly above her, peering down through the domed window. Her free hand curled on her lightsaber.

The trap had been set. The Force-sensitive child was safe in another Gungan household, leaving an adequately-sized squeaky toy to convincingly take its place. Anakin was surveying the house from across the road, and Ahsoka got the privilege of taking the guy down herself.

Her heart was racing. There was a lot at stake here--the future of the Jedi Order, and the safety of the Force-sensitive children. Ahsoka was responsible for the outcome of this.

There was a soft thump, most likely Cad Bane dropping down from the window, followed by the high-pitched squeal of the trap toy, cueing Ahsoka’s appearance.

She leapt out of the cabinet, the blade of her saber washing the circular room in light tones of green. “Don’t move, slee...mo?” She lowered her lightsaber, as she looked at Cad Bane face-up on the floor. “What in the Force?”

She looked around the room, examining for other threats, before reaching out with the Force. She couldn’t sense any other life forms around her, with the exception of the Duros out-cold at her feet.

Opening comms with Anakin, she spoke cautiously, still eyeing the shadowy corners of the room. “Master...I’ve got him?”

“You do?” Anakin asked, just as confused as his Padawan. “I mean, of course you do.” He had clearly been expecting Cad Bane to escape Ahsoka’s grasp. “That’s, uh, great! I’ll be right there. How’d you--how’d you take him out?”

Ahsoka nudged the bounty hunter with the toe of her boot, as if this may all be some elaborate trick by Bane. “I didn’t...someone else did.” She made her way over to the cradle, where the stuffed animal was visible underneath the white sheet. “They might be looking for the child, but I didn’t sense anyone around here.”

“Stay where you are,” Anakin replied firmly. “If Bane tries to wake up, give him a taste of his own medicine.”

“Yes, Master,” Ahsoka said, rubbing the back of her lekku as she remembered Cad Bane pistol-whipping her into unconsciousness. She Force-pulled the bounty hunter’s blasters off his hips, tossing them across the room.

She pulled cuffs off of her utility belt, strapping the Duros’ hands behind his back. Kneeling down beside him, she patted him down for any other weapons, as was standard procedure, and pulled her Padawan braid off of his belt, tying it back onto her own Akul teeth headdress.

Perfectly timed, Anakin dropped through the skylight just as Ahsoka finished frisking Cad bane. He looked around the room carefully, as if Ahsoka had somehow missed something, before eyeing Bane warily. “Did you see who did this?”

“No,” Ahsoka replied honestly as Anakin lifted Bane up with the Force. “Like I said, I didn’t hear anything, sense anything. Do you think it might’ve been a Sith?”

Anakin pressed two fingers to Bane’s jugular, feeling an even pulse. “No...if this was the Sith, they wouldn’t have left him alive. And they’re clearly not a Jedi...but if you couldn’t sense them, they’re probably Force-sensitive, and hiding their presence from you. it’s possible that they were simply a rogue Force user, ex-Jedi or ex-Sith, but I don’t...I really don’t see how that’s possible.”

“Why not?” Ahsoka asked, thinking it easily plausible for a rogue Force-user to be searching for Force-sensitive children. The Force-sensitive child and their mother walked into the room at that moment, relieved to be safe.

“It’s...familiar,” Anakin murmured, turning Bane over mid-air. “This was a clean knockout. No bruises, no breaks. Rogue Force-users tend not to have such an honor code--not impossible, but really unlikely. It might be…” he trailed off. “But that’s so unlikely.”

“What? What’s unlikely?” Ahsoka asked after giving a little wave to the cooing Gungan child. “Talk to me, Skyguy.”

“I don’t know,” Anakin said, sounding a little unsure himself. Clone troopers came in to take Cad Bane back to Windu’s starship. “Obi-Wan told me that there are  _ other _ Force Orders, you know, outside of the Jedi and Sith. But they tend to avoid affiliating themselves with us, which is why this is so unlikely.”

“O-o-okay,” Ahsoka said, clearly disbelieving of the concept. “So, why don’t these other ‘Force Orders’ affiliate with us?”

“Oh, hell if I know,” Anakin said, slightly exasperated at the concept. “Reasons vary. I’m not the one you should be asking, though--Yoda’s the real expert on it. He was alive when the Jedi tried to set up a coalition with the other Light Side Orders. It didn’t go too well, but I’m sure he’d be happy to talk to you about it when we’re up in the air.”

“Right,” Ahsoka said, still somewhat perplexed at the concept. All she had known was the Jedi, and they never mentioned other Force Orders--even the Sith were scarcely mentioned. “But is this guy good or bad?”

“I don’t know, Ahsoka,” Anakin said honestly, rubbing his temples. “I honestly don’t know.”

* * *

Mace Windu normally didn’t complain when things fell into his lap. Good things seldom happened to the Jedi in the Clone Wars, so when Cad Bane came into Republic custody gift-wrapped, Windu should’ve been grateful. But instead, he was extremely off-put. As happy as he was to put another piece of bounty-hunting scum behind bars, something about Anakin and Ahsoka’s report made him uneasy.

There was another force at play here, one Windu didn’t know about. One beyond the Jedi or Sith, according to Anakin’s report. Windu didn’t like that. Rogue Force-sensitives were a threat unto themselves, and other Force Orders weren’t held in high regard by the Jedi as of late.

Half a millennium ago, the Jedi and other Lightside Force Orders were allowed to live autonomously, but over time, they drifted, and the Jedi started to remove them from their education. Most assumed that they had died off, or simply dissolved, but apparently, they hadn’t disappeared. Perhaps they had evolved, strayed from the Jedi for their own reasons, whatever it may be.

“We know you’ve taken at least two children,” Obi-Wan said sternly, snapping Windu from his musings. Cad Bane sat down in front of the two Jedi Masters, staring down at the durasteel table as Obi-Wan bore down on him. “Where are they?”

“Beyond your reach,” Bane said easily, his vibrating and grinding voice echoing around his holding cell. 

“Who are you working for?” Windu pressured in a sharp voice, still standing behind Obi-Wan. He had a strong feeling that it was the Separatists--particularly, Dooku. As of late, it wasn’t out of the question for the ex-Jedi to kidnap children. 

“I work alone,” Bane lied through his teeth, Windu feeling a tremor in the Force at his fabrication.

“It’s only a matter of time before we locate the holocron,” Obi-Wan said in his suave tone of voice. “Make it easier on yourself.”

“What are you going to do, Jedi, torture me?” Bane spat out, looking Obi-Wan in the eyes with that challenge. “Your green-robed friend didn’t even want to hurt me, so why would you?”

Windu turned to look outside the cell, surprise crossing over his face. A Force-user with green robes...Yoda had told him about something like that once, but he couldn’t put a finger on the name of the Force Order.  _ Focus on the task at hand, Mace. _

“I think the fear of whoever you work for outweighs your fear of us,” Windu said, his hands latched behind his back. He could feel Cad Bane’s mind close up in fear, and a smile tugged at his face as the bounty hunter leaned backwards in his chair, hands still chained in his lap.

“This conversation is over,” Bane said icily.

“Not quite,” Windu said, and Obi-Wan looked up at him. He had been expecting to leave and reconvene with Anakin and Ahsoka, who had been searching Cad Bane’s belongings for information or leverage. “What did you see of your assailant?”

“So he wasn’t a Jedi?” Bane asked testily, though he seemed relieved that the conversation had shifted away from him. “What a surprise.”

“What did you see?” Obi-Wan inquired, going along with Windu. He really appreciated Kenobi’s adaptability. “Surely, you can tell us.” The Force rippled in his voice as he tried to convince Bane.

“Not a lot,” Bane said honestly, having no problem incriminating someone other than himself. “Light-colored hair, green cloak, backpack. He caught me by surprise, I’ll give him that.”

“How did he knock you out?” Windu asked, finally turning to face the Duros. 

Bane growled, still somewhat annoyed that he had been apprehended. “He did one of your Jedi tricks,” his tone was hot and aggressive. “Palmed me in the stomach, and I was out cold.” He paused. “He was also wearing brown gloves.”

His method of combat wasn’t anything remarkable, Windu noted. A simple palm to the gut, combined with the power of the Force, could knock most anyone out. If Cad Bane hadn’t said something about a green cloak, he would’ve believed this was a Sith Lord.

“Were done here,” Windu said, glad to have the final word on the matter. He and Obi-Wan left the cell without another word, electric bars sliding back into place with a sizzle behind them.

Anakin and Ahsoka were already waiting outside, the latter looking confused and the former, indignant.

“We tore the ship apart,” Anakin reported, “and there was no sign of the kids or the holocron.”

“Did you check the ship’s navigation records?” Windu asked, analyzing Padawan Tano’s confusion. She had been put in charge of apprehending Bane, and someone had done her job for her. She seemed disappointed, like she hadn’t gotten what she wanted. Expected of a young child, but not of a Jedi Padawan.

“They were wiped clean before he landed on Naboo,” Ahsoka said with a soft sigh.

“We’ll have to use the Force to make him talk,” Anakin said, more of a command than a suggestion, a little too eager to whale on Bane after he had captured Ahsoka and other children. Windu hadn’t forgotten that Skywalker came from slavery, and this was more than personal for him. 

“I don’t think Bane is that weak,” Obi-Wan muttered, stroking his beard as he considered Anakin’s “suggestion.”

“Maybe if we all concentrated on his mind together?” Ahsoka asked, more politely than her Master, subconsciously mimicking Obi-Wan’s gesture. 

“Hmm,” Obi-Wan hummed, not condoning or denying Ahsoka’s proposition. “Using the Force to compel a strong mind to cooperate is...risky, to say the least.”

“There is a chance his mind could be completely destroyed in the process,” Windu said, glancing back at the Duros bounty hunter in the cell, still staring at the table with a determined silence.

“Well, do we have any other options?” Anakin asked, still a little excited at the concept.

Windu suddenly felt a shift in the Force, and he turned back to Bane. The bounty hunter was still drumming his fingers on the table, and nothing seemed to me amiss. Sighing, Windu nodded to Anakin and the four Jedi made their way into the cell.

Bane looked up at them with his all-encompassing red eyes a smug sneer on his thin lips. He had no idea of what was about to happen.

“You will take us to the holocron,” Anakin said, hand stretched out towards the bounty hunter, voice echoing with the power of the Force.

“Jedi mind tricks don’t work on me,” Bane said, crossing his legs and leaning back in his chair.  _ Don’t get too cocky,  _ Windu thought.

“You  _ will _ take us to the holocron,” Anakin said, and Obi-Wan joined in, eyes closed in concentration.

“Forget it!” Bane shouted, though it was clear the effects of their persuasion were getting to him. 

“You will take us to the holocron,” Windu said with a simple finality, waving his hand at the Duros, compelling him to comply.

“I...I...I won’t!” Bane growled, hands gripping on the table in an effort to stand up to their power.

“And you will take us  _ now _ !” The three of them exclaimed, and Windu felt Bane’s shields shatter, a fourth Force presence swirling around Bane before receding. It wasn’t Ahsoka’s, and it was wholly unfamiliar. 

“I...I will take you,” Bane said, grasping his head. “No! Get out of my head!” The Jedi continued their assault, pressing in on him with the Force, though Windu continued to search for the other presence.

Cad Bane began to groan and shriek in pain, and Windu heard a soft shuffling coming from above him, a ventilation grate looking down at him. His eyes widened as he glanced back at Bane.

Their assailant was on the ship with them.

“Perhaps we should try  _ again _ ,” Anakin said angrily, and Windu gave him a warning glance. Ahsoka looked concerned at the idea.

“I...I’ve had enough of that,” Bane said, breathing heavily while hunched over the table. “I’ll take you to the holocron. You’ll get your children back.”

Windu was now locked onto the Force presence above them. He wouldn’t have sensed it through their cloaking, but now that he knew someone was there, he could latch on easily enough. They were a little confused, though Windu couldn’t fathom why.

“Good,” Windu said, looking down at Bane, and then drawing his violet lightsaber. Bane and the assailant both inhaled sharply, and the other Jedi in the room widened their eyes ever so slightly.

“What are you doing, Master Windu?” Ahsoka asked, and Kenobi gave Windu a hesitant glance. He trusted his fellow Council member, but drawing a lightsaber on an unarmed man was taking it to the extreme.

“Whoever you are,” Windu said, pointing his violet blade up towards the ventilation shaft, “You will come out. Now.”

“Who the hell is he tal--” Anakin cut himself off as the ventilation grate dropped down in front of Mace, followed by a green-robed figure. “Oh.”

The sound of lightsabers igniting filled the small room as the figure slipped off of Bane’s desk, landing carefully on two feet. They lifted their gloved hand and pulled their green hood down, revealing a young man not much younger than Anakin. He looked a little flustered, his cheeks and ears turning red as he looked at the lightsabers.

“Who are you?” Ahsoka asked as Anakin stepped closer to the mysterious man. Windu kept an eye on Bane, lest the Duros try anything reckless or stupid. “And what are you doing here?”

“I’m Caz,” the man held out his hand, before looking at the weapons pointed at him, and slowly lowering it. “I’m here to help you guys save the kids that this guy” --he jerked his thumb at Bane-- “kidnapped.”

“Are you now?” Obi-Wan asked, lowering and turning off his lightsaber to give Caz the benefit of the doubt. “I was unaware that the Matukai Order still kept an eye on Jedi affairs.” Windu’s eyes widened as he was reminded of the name, and he steadied his blade on Caz.

“You know about us?” Caz sounded super excited at the concept. “That’s awesome! Your lightsabers look even cooler in person.” He then looked back at Obi-Wan and decided to answer the man’s question. “No...generally we don’t. In fact, most of them don’t even know that I’m here. But I’m here to help.”

“Like we’d believe that,” Ahsoka said harshly, and Anakin planted a hand on his apprentice’s shoulder. Caz seemed wounded at Ahsoka’s distrustfulness, and the Togruta looked up at her Master in astonishment. “Wait, you guys really believe that he’s from the Makashi Order?”

“Matukai,” Caz muttered, looking down at the floor with a sudden interest, his ears red. Clearly, this isn’t how he expected the conversation to go. He glanced back up at them, before looking at Bane. “I knocked him out for you...I thought you’d like that.”

“Your Grandmaster made it explicitly clear that the Matukai and Jedi Orders were to stay separate,” Windu said coldly, and Caz visibly deflated, his expression turning from ashamed to discouraged, and then back to eager.

“Yeah, well, that was a while ago!” Caz said with an anxious grin. “Things change, yeah? If you like the technicalities, I’d technically  _ not _ be working  _ with  _ you, so much as alongside you!” He looked at Windu with bright, hopeful eyes, and the Jedi Master’s expression did not change in the slightest. “Just…” His face fell again, expression betraying every emotion. “Just for this mission.”

Anakin’s expression seemed to soften at the guy’s hopes being dashed by impeding silence. He remembered wanting to impress the Jedi Masters--hell, he still did--wanting to prove himself. “Well, alright.” Windu turned to him, clearly irritated that Anakin was interjecting. “What do you know about this mission?”

Caz’s face began to light up, slowly but surely, and Bane let out a scoff. Caz wasn’t even fazed by the bounty hunter, only further confirming that Caz wanted to please the Jedi. “Well, I know that the Sith are in on thi--”

“Even  _ we _ don’t know that,” Windu said sharply, and Obi-Wan gave Windu a neutral glance. Caz swallowed hard, fidgeting with a tassel on his belt. “How would you know that? Are you one of Dooku’s Acolytes? Why are you sneaking on our ship?”

Caz began to sweat under the Korun Master’s accusing tone, and Obi-Wan stepped forward. “Mace,” he said calmly, and the man in question seemed to relax. “Caz, why do you assume that the Sith are behind this?”

“I...that’s what I was told by my friend,” Caz said, and Windu arched his eyebrow. “I’m sorry for the assumption, I just wanted to...I thought that the Sith would be the most logical option. I was sneaking around on your ship because I was worried your troopers would shoot me.” He paused. “Wait...Dooku?”

The Force rang true with his statements, and Windu seemed to relax further. The remaining lightsabers in the room snapped off, and Caz slumped with a somewhat relieved sigh. 

“My name is Obi-Wan Kenobi,” Obi-Wan said, holding out a black-gloved hand, which Caz eagerly shook, looking like he had just been handed a million credits. 

“I’m Anakin Skywalker,” Anakin said, giving Caz a nod and a grin. “This is my Padawan, Ahsoka Tano, and--”

“Mace Windu,” Windu introduced himself, and Skywalker scowled for a moment. “If your intentions are truly to help us, then it is within my boundaries to oblige you. But you will  _ not  _ be sneaking around our ship, and you will not do anything without  _ my _ explicit permission.”

“Sir, yes sir,” Caz said with an eager military salute, and Windu resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “What should I do?”

“I’m pairing you with Skywalker and Tano,” Windu said, pointing at the man and Togruta. Anakin didn’t look phased, but Ahsoka looked intrigued. “I don’t need you slowing us down.”

“I wouldn’t!” Caz said confidently, but Windu didn’t acknowledge it. “I...I wouldn’t slow you down. But just for reference...how fast are yo--” His mouth snapped shut with a  _ clop _ as Windu gave him an ice-cold stare. “Alright, no, okay, yeah, yeah.”

Ahsoka covered her mouth to stifle laughter as Caz power-walked over to her and Anakin, his eyes never leaving Windu’s robed form, lest the Jedi Master Force-push him into a wall for no plausible reason.

* * *

Anakin didn’t like Mace Windu pinning the new guy on him at the last minute.

To be fair, Anakin didn’t  _ dislike _ the guy. In fact, he kind of sympathized with him--wanting to impress the Jedi. Caz seemed to idolize him, and had already asked him three times to talk about his experiences as a Jedi Knight. Anakin had been sparing with information, so Caz was now locked in conversation with Ahsoka on the creation of lightsabers. Ahsoka was perplexed and interested in Caz’s culture, and had apparently arranged an “info trade.”

Hopefully Caz’s temporary addition to the team wouldn’t throw them off their game.

“So, you guys have crystals in them?” Caz asked as Ahsoka showed him the steel hilt of her lightsaber. “And they’re...different colors? Do you get to choose your favorite?”

“The crystal chooses you,” Ahsoka explained, turning her hilt over in her hand. “We go into these caves, and face our fears, and then find our crystal. Grandmaster Yoda told me that no two kyber crystals are the same.”

“That’s so cool,” Caz gushed, and he wasn’t faking it, either. Anakin could tell that this man had never met a Jedi in person, and that went the same for any Sith Lord. There was no way he could be one of Dooku’s apprentices. “The Archive is really scarce about Jedi tradition.”

“The Archive?” Ahsoka asked, and Caz turned ghostly pale. “What’s the archive?”

“Pretend you didn’t hear that,” Caz said, his face as white as a sheet. “The Archive is a Matukai secret. Shit. Shit, I’m so sorry. Pretend you didn’t hear that.”  
“Hear what?” Ahsoka said, and the emotions flushed back into Caz’s face. She smiled reassuringly, and Anakin smiled at the kindness of his Padawan. She clipped her saber to her hip and turned to Caz’s backpack, which had an intricate-looking blade strapped to it. “So...what do you _Matukai_ use?” She tested the word out, having never used it before.

“It’s called a wan-shen,” Caz said, taking off his backpack and kneeling down on the ground. Since the group was moving, Ahsoka stopped so that she could see what he was going to pull out. “Basically, you--”

“Skywalker,” Windu barked, and Anakin grimaced. “Tell Caz to pick up the pace.”  
Caz immediately launched to his feet, slinging his backpack over his shoulder as he lightly jogged to catch up with the other Jedi. Windu flicked off his communicator, a message disappearing from view.

“The Chancellor wants a report on our progress,” Windu said, and Caz’s eyes lit up like strobe lights. However, he kept silent. Either politics weren’t cool enough to speak on, or he had learned his lesson about interrupting Windu. Somehow, Anakin knew it wasn’t the latter.

“Tell him this is not Republic business,” Obi-Wan said firmly, and Anakin raised an eyebrow. Caz nodded in agreement, though he didn’t seem too aware of what was going on. “This is an internal Jedi affair.”  
“I’m sorry to disagree,” Anakin said, and Caz turned to him, before continuing to nod, “but as long as the Jedi are operating as a military, we should report to the Chancellor, even on internal matters such as this.” He glanced at Caz, who suddenly stopped nodding. “Plus, if Caz here can know about the mission, why can’t the Chancellor?”

“You guys are military?” Caz asked, perplexed. “I thought the Jedi were peacekeepers.”

“We  _ are _ keeping the peace,” Windu said fiercely, and Caz nodded to agree. “In wartime, difficult choices must be made. Would I be too open-minded to believe that if the Matukai had allied with us, the war would be tipped in the Republic’s favor? I was under the impression that they were  _ very _ capable.”

Caz shrunk at the veiled insult to his own skillset, and opened his mouth to retort. “The Matukai aren’t military, though.”

“Are you not extremely skilled in many forms of combat and survival?” Windu asked, the tension in the air almost becoming palpable. Nobody could fathom why Windu was so aggressive towards him, least of all Caz.

“I…” Caz trailed off, his face going slack with confusion. Surely not all Jedi were like this. Why did Windu have such a negative stigma against him and the Matukai? “I…”

Obi-Wan wrapped a hand around Anakin’s shoulder, attempting to shift the conversation to something a little more light-hearted. “Anakin, I suppose you just volunteered to go and inform the Chancellor! Send him my regards!”

Obi-Wan guided Windu by the shoulder towards their shuttle, and Ahsoka gave Caz a sympathetic glance. 

“Now, wait a minute--” Anakin protested, and Obi-Wan gave his former apprentice a taunting smirk.

“I agree,” Windu said, though Anakin didn’t seem all that surprised. “Report back here when you are finished.” He paused to look at Caz, who was gawking at one of the ATTE in the hangars as if nothing had occurred at all. “And take Caz with you.”

Windu and Obi-Wan continued to walk away, and Caz only smiled as Anakin sighed. “Master, this could be a trap.” Obi-Wan turned back to look at Skywalker. “Are you sure you don’t want us to go?”

“Of course it’s a trap, Skywalker,” Windu said loftily, glancing back at the three young adults. “We’ll update you when we find the kids.”

“I thought I was here to save the kids,” Caz said, a little confused. “Why are you shoving me off the mission?”

“You wanted to work with the Jedi on this mission?” Windu asked, and Caz nodded eagerly. “This is part of it.”

“O-okay,” Caz said, though he wasn’t so sure. Vash was gonna be a little pissed when he found out that Caz spent more time talking to an old politician, than saving future Sith slaves and agents. “I just thought I’d be more...integrated into the mission.”

“You thought wrong,” Windu said as he and Obi-Wan stepped into the shuttle.

Anakin couldn’t quite disagree with Caz. If the Matukai was right in his assumption, and the Sith were behind this, the children were about to be subjected to a life as bad as the one he escaped from. 

Ahsoka looked up at Anakin in concern. “What if they don’t find those kids?”

“They will, Snips,” Anakin said, putting on a show of confidence for his young Padawan. “Come on, you two. Let’s see if we can grab a shuttle before they’re sent off for sanitation.”

“Can’t we just…” Caz waved his hand over his forearm, where a triangular comlink sat on a bracer. “Call him? No disrespect to him, but is it necessary to go in person?”

“That’s what he requested,” Anakin said as they jogged over to one of the remaining shuttles, Caz managed to nod while keeping pace, though he looked more like a bobble-head from Anakin’s peripheral. “Plus, he’s one of the best men I know. You’ll like him.”

“Hopefully he likes you,” Ahsoka joked, and Caz winced, but smiled at Ahsoka’s quip.

* * *

On all possible accounts, Chancellor Palpatine was an exceedingly cautious man. He left most nothing to chance and always planned for any and every eventuality. How else had he survived thus far, a Sith Master amongst hundreds of Jedi?

However, with his age came flexibility in his plots. As much as he avoided unknown variables, they were bound to present themselves. He had yet to become omnipotent and omniscient in his premonitions.

So when three people walked into Palpatine’s office instead of the typical two, Palpatine had an inkling of how to act.

He analyzed the stranger’s physical appearance first. Shorter than Anakin, taller than Tano. Lean and willowy, held himself with more strength then his posture suggested. After a rather risky probe into the Force, Palpatine had divulged that the man had stunningly weak mental shields and a very streamlined mindset of “save the children.”

He dressed in ivory whites, greys and browns. Jedi colors. His hair was a light blond, unruly and curly. He wore a goofy smile, and Palpatine could innately sense that the man was happy to be here, but would rather be somewhere else.

The man had a  _ very  _ small Force presence, immediately turning Palpatine’s interest away from him and towards Anakin. “Ah, Anakin, it’s good to see you.” The stranger looked up at him, his expression and body language expressing great admiration, before turning and looking back at Anakin. He clearly admired the Republic--whether that was good for The Plan or not, Palpatine was unsure.

“Your Excellency,” Anakin said with a nod, a grin splitting his face as he looked up at Palpatine. The Sith Lord never missed a chance to tighten his grip on his future servant, and now might be a crucial time. Anakin was clearly frustrated by a great many things, though Palpatine was cautious to avoid using too much of the Force until he made a final judgement call on the stranger. 

Ahsoka smiled up at the Chancellor, but he only gave her a disapproving look, and the smile fell off her face. He could care less about her. Until she and Anakin improved their bond, she was just a nuisance. She would be a tool in the future depending on how things went, but for now? A pesky, bug-eyed Padawan.

The stranger gave Palpatine a dip of his head, a cheerful smile in his eyes. The man’s joy seemed to be panoptic in Palpatine’s scope of emotions, just happiness and nothing more. 

“Excuse us, Padawans,” Palpatine said politely, guiding Anakin into his office with a placid smile. Perhaps he shouldn’t have assumed that the stranger was a Jedi Padawan, but by his analysis, his Force presence was just over the line of induction to the Jedi Order. Maybe he was Tano’s friend. Palpatine didn’t care.

Ahsoka and the stranger exchanged glances as the door shut in front of them. Palpatine could hear the man whispering through the door. “Would now be a good time to finish off that trade?”

Their voices dissipated as Palpatine and Anakin made their way up past Palpatine’s desk and to the window stretching across an entire wall of his office. Coruscant’s setting sun seemed to stare them down from across the horizon, bathing the skyscrapers in shades of gold and orange.

“I understand you made an important arrest in the plot to destroy the Jedi,” Palpatine said, preparing to praise Anakin for his accomplishment, furthering his self-pride and ego. He had no issue with Cad Bane getting arrested--he had expected more usefulness from the bounty hunter, but no matter. Even if Bane broke under the inquisition of the Jedi, Palpatine’s identity and plot was too well-secured for this to inflict any long-term issues.

“To think a simple bounty hunter could come up with such a plan,” Palpatine added earnestly, testing Anakin’s knowledge. As much as he  _ despised _ acting like he didn’t know anything, he could fake it for Skywalker.

“I believe someone else, someone much more powerful is behind this,” Anakin said, staring out across the cityscape. “Caz told us that he thought it was the Sith, but I don’t think it’s Dooku.” Palpatine raised a tentative eyebrow, and Anakin sighed. “And let me give credit where it’s due. The Republic made the arrest, but he was already unconscious when we got to him. Courtesy of Caz.”

He jerked his thumb back, and Palpatine realized he was talking about the stranger in the hall. So he wasn’t part of the Republic. “Is that man not a Jedi Padawan?” Now was the time to play dumb. “His robes look similar to what the Council wears.”

“No, no, he’s not,” Anakin said, shaking his head. “He’s a Matukai.”

“And what is a Matukai?” Palpatine asked, though inside he was rather happy. As his late Master, Darth Plagueis, mentored him, they had brushed over other Force Orders. The Matukai were shunned to the side--easy to eliminate, small Force presences, and never looking for anything past the physical realm of muscle strength and stamina. It was nice to not have a difficult problem on his hands.

“I’m not sure, actually,” Anakin said honestly. “But he’s got good intentions, and he wants to save those kids. I trust him for that.”  _ You trust too easily. I’ll work that out of you yet. _ “I think he’s right. The mastermind behind this plan is most likely a Sith.”

“I wouldn’t know,” Palpatine said with a slow shake of the head. “Have you discovered any clues as to the identity of this individual?”

“Not yet, Chancellor,” Anakin admitted, and the more paranoid side of Palpatine was satiated by this. It was too early in Anakin’s development for him to learn of Darth Sidious. 

Now secure and calm, Palpatine gently patted Anakin on the back. “Have patience, my boy.”

“Right,” Anakin said, and Palpatine did want to cultivate patience in the boy. It would aid him in his plans for him, as an enforcer of his coming Empire. “But those kids...if this is a Sith, then they’re going to be enslaved to the Sith.”  _ That  _ is _ the point. _

“You can stop it,” Palpatine said, encouraging the man. “I have faith that you can do so, my boy.”

“Thank you, Chancellor,” Anakin said softly, and he turned to walk towards the exit, their short chat ending. He had a war to fight, after all, and Palpatine had one to orchestrate. 

The doors slid open to reveal Ahsoka slowly twirling a large bo-staff with a glinting blade on one end. Caz was holding Ahsoka’s lightsaber hilt in his hand, unignited as he just stared at it in awe.

“Ahsoka!” Anakin scolded her, and she stopped twirling the staff, fumbling with it and nearly dropping it. “Be careful with that…” He looked at Caz, whose face was red as a beet. “What is it?”

“It’s a Matukai wan-shen,” Ahsoka said confidently as she leaned against the staff. “It’s like their lightsaber, but...bigger.”

“An adequate description, surely,” Palpatine said as Caz and Ahsoka traded weapons. “Though perhaps this is not an adequate location.” Caz only turned redder, and Ahsoka’s orange face darkened slightly. “No harm, no foul.”

Caz began to unscrew his wan-shen parts, stuffing them back into their cylindrical bag and strapping it to the bottom of his backpack. He then walked up to the Chancellor, holding out a gloved hand. “The name’s Caz Solus. It’s really good to meet you.”

Palpatine shook it, only managing to nod. In Caz’s other hand was the wan-shen blade, which was the size of Caz’s own head. 

“Did you know they make it with the Force, just like we do?” Ahsoka asked, half-whispering to her Master. “They forge the metal and everything.”

“That’s very interesting, Ahsoka,” Anakin said, still eyeing Caz carefully. Caz turned away from the Chancellor, still smiling but also red-faced. “Caz, in the future--”

“Got it,” Caz said, extremely flustered. “My bad.”

“It’s alright,” Anakin said with a soft smile which irritated Palpatine. This man hadn’t been on his radar for more than a few hours, and he was already making friends with this Matukai? “We’ll have to get going now, though.”

“Yep, yep,” Caz said, slipping the wan-shen blade into the back of his backpack.

“Why weren’t you brought to the Temple?” Ahsoka asked, and Caz’s face went dark for the briefest of moments, resentment rolling over his happy expression, before it returned to a compassionate smile. “You’re Force-sensitive, right?”

“Well, yeah,” Caz said honestly. “But I...I didn’t have a large enough presence to be inducted into your temple. Plus, with my sickness and all, I don’t think I would’ve made a very good Jedi Padawan.”

“I’m sure you would’ve been alright,” Ahsoka said, and Caz smiled brightly. Palpatine noted that Caz clearly felt some degree of annoyance about not becoming a Jedi, but it wasn’t a problem to him. The man clearly didn’t have the ambition nor anger to act on such feelings, and it was  _ mild  _ at best. “What kind of sickness did you have?”

“Not sure,” Caz said with a shrug. “But it was pretty severe.” He paused, looking at the Chancellor, before giving him a nod. “Sorry! Don’t mean to waste your time.”

“Not at all,” Palpatine said politely, lying through his teeth. Caz’s smile didn’t waver for a moment, and Palpatine stepped back towards the door. “However, I won’t take up any more of yours. You have children to save, Mister…”

“Solus,” Caz said brightly. “Caz Solus.”

* * *

“How do you think Caz is doing?” Vash asked, looking up at Akysa, who was sharpening her chain-blade with a stone. “He hasn’t contacted me yet.”

“It’s only been one day, V,” Akysa said with a huff, eyeing the Espirion, who was meditating in front of her. “Jaena and Tyvokk go off on missions for weeks on end, and you never worry like this. The hell is up with you?”

Vash kept his eyes closed as he continued to hold himself up in a one-armed handstand, but shifted his grip so he was facing Akysa. “None of you guys have ever encountered the Sith” --Akysa gave him a warning glare, and Vash sensed it through the Force, understanding her wordless retort-- “I’m not trying to do that, Akysa. All I’m saying is that if Caz runs into a Sith Lord...I shouldn’t have let him go.” He began to waver in his meditation pose, his hand gripping on the floor to keep him from toppling.

“Are you karking serious?” Akysa asked, getting to her feet and testing out her chain-blade on the walls of the training arena, which were already littered with slashes and burns from previous battles. “Caz? He’ll be fine. You know that.”

“It’s not all about combat with them anymore,” Vash said, his voice getting hollow as the Force swirled around him. “They’re not like the Sith in the scrolls. They’ve put down their sabers and picked up their holocrons. It’s a mind game with them, now.”

Akysa wasn’t sure what to say to that. “What do you mean?” The Espirion had been reserved when talking about his trauma, even with Caz, his self-proclaimed best friend. Akysa knew she was testing Vash’s emotional resolve--he had moved past it, but talking about it made it return.

“It’s manipulation,” Vash said, still keeping his body suspended in the air. “They’ve evolved from the days of old, grown out of animalistic lightsaber jabs and into silver tongues and promises of salvation.” His eyes opened, yellow irises on green sclera, and Akysa saw the fear in the man’s eyes. “Why do you think three of the children tried to stay?”

Akysa felt a pit open up in her stomach, but she ignored it, instead resolving to twirl her weapon around her body. “But you told me they liked to stay in hiding, right? They’re not gonna come out for a knucklehead like Caz.”

Vash looked at her again. “I hope you’re right.”

_ Me too,  _ Akysa thought as she flung the blade into the wall, hitting a bull’s eye on her target.

* * *

“Well, the piloting systems are clean,” Anakin called out as he pressed a few buttons on Cad Bane’s ship. Kenobi and Windu still hadn’t reported back from their mission, and Anakin was anxious about it. “Check the landing gear,” he said, peering over the hull of the ship to see Caz and Ahsoka’s legs poking out.

“Double-checked it,” Ahsoka said, wiping some grease off her face as she rolled out from beneath the ship. “I have a feeling Master Windu and Obi-Wan could’ve used our help.”

“Look, I don’t like being taken out of action either,” Anakin admitted, and Caz let out a yelp as a steam pipe flew into his face, hissing and cursing. “But someone has to do this job.”

“And it always ends up being us,” Ahsoka said with an indignant huff. Caz looked a little disappointed at that, and the Togruta went to reassure him, but noticed something on the hull. “Hm…” She ran her hand along the blackish mark on the ship. “Bane picked up a lot of volcanic ash in his travels.”

“Yeah, really,” Caz said, running his hand along one of the landing beams, palms coming back covered in soot. Artoo bumped him aside, and Caz let out a yelp. “Hey!” Artoo began to stick a pole into the ship, accessing it’s database, and then whirring something to Caz. “Really? Huh.” 

Caz hopped up to his feet, glancing up at Anakin and waving his blackened hand. “Your astromech says that Bane didn’t clear his fuel computer. I think you could check that?”

“I could,” Anakin said jokingly, his hands whirling around on the keyboards, a mischievous grin growing on his face. Ahsoka jumped up onto one of the ship’s wings, and Caz leapt up as well. “So if we cross-reference the planets he’s visited with the distances he’s traveled…” Anakin’s grin widened as he pressed a button with finality, six planets popping up in front of them.

“We can calculate where he went,” Ahsoka stated, and Caz nodded along, finally looking like he understood what was happening.

“So…” Caz scooted closer, looking up at the planets. He looked at each of them, and then pointed at one of them. “Mustafar’s got volcanic ash.” He took a tentative lick of the soot on his hands. “Yeah...definitely Mustafar.”

“That  _ is _ Mustafar,” Anakin stated, and Ahsoka narrowed her eyes. “And did you just  _ lick _ the ash?”

Caz was silent as he looked away from Anakin, though the Jedi could see his reddening ears from behind his curls of hair. He muttered something like ‘tastes like Mustafar’ as Ahsoka decided to change the subject.

“There weren’t any children on Mustafar,” Ahsoka murmured. 

“I would hope so,” Caz said, recovering from his embarrassment as Anakin pulled up the database on the planet. “From what I hear, it’s a mining planet, covered in lava and  _ very _ remote.” Anakin raised an eyebrow at him, and Caz smiled, feeling proud for getting to show his knowledge. “The Matukai have us study planets a lot.”

“Well, that may be where he met up with his client,” Anakin said, switching off the navi-computer and jumping out of the ship, Ahsoka and Caz following suit. “It’s worth a look.”

“Anything to get out of this hangar,” Ahsoka groaned. 

“Don’t the Jedi want us to stay here?” Caz asked, not moving from his spot beside the ship.

“We  _ are _ Jedi, Caz,” Anakin said with a smile. “And they want us to save this kids. They’ll get over it if we’re right about it.”

“Okay,” Caz said, somewhat hesitant but not ready to be left alone in an unfamiliar situation. Anakin figured he still wanted to impress them--hopefully Caz was helpful. He really didn’t want to see the guy die in the fiery flames of Mustafar because he couldn’t handle himself.

They all piled into one of the freighter ships, with the Jedi taking the pilot seats as Caz sat in the back. Anakin revved the engines and they tore into hyperspace, the blue-white light coruscating around them. 

After they came out of hyperspace, Ahsoka took the wheel and helped guide the ship down onto the rocky, spired terrain of Mustafar. It didn’t take anyone long to realize that the planet was strong in the dark side, and Caz’s breath hitched. It was clear to Anakin that there wasn’t a lot of interaction between the Dark Side and the Matukai Order.

“We’re coming up on Mustafar,” Ahsoka stated grimly, her cheerful demeanor being diminished by the strange coldness in the Force on the scalding planet. Caz wasn’t the only one unadjusted to the darkness--perhaps Anakin should’ve waited for Obi-Wan and Windu. He could see the goosebumps on Ahsoka’s arms.

“Artoo, begin the landing cycle,” Anakin spoke to the astrodroid, who whirred in acknowledgement. Caz swallowed hard and put on a brave face. Artoo jabbed one of his arms into the ship’s motherboard, and the ship began to descend into the atmosphere of Mustafar, the air rippling with heat all around them. Even the air-conditioning in the ship didn’t keep the heat from getting to them. 

Lava bubbled beneath them from in between tall rock spires, intense heat mirages appearing on the edges of everyone’s vision. The mountains around them were littered with buildings and landing docks from ages past and ages to come. 

“I can sense them,” Anakin said, reaching out into the Force and feeling the presences of the children. Caz looked at him as Ahsoka piloted the ship closer to the lava. Anakin pointed down at one of the more modern buildings. “They’re in there...but they’re shrouded in darkness.”

Ahsoka nodded slowly as the ship touched down on the landing pad, and the cylindrical bag attached to Caz’s backpack was suddenly unzipped, screwing together metal tubes to create the quarterstaff portion of his wan-shen. Anakin and Ahsoka were both sweating from the heat, but Caz had a nervous sweat breaking out on his jaw.

“You can stay in the ship if you’d like,” Anakin said firmly. “Ahsoka and I can take care of thi--”

“No, I’m good,” Caz said, tightening the tubes on his staff. “I’m good.”

Artoo led the way down the landing rails, Anakin and Ahsoka in line behind the droid, with Caz taking up the caboose, his staff pointed downwards at the ground, blade in his open hand.

“You sure this is the right place?” Ahsoka asked, looking around at the building in confusion.

“We’re gonna find out,” Anakin said, and Caz wiped a bit of cold sweat off his brow. The three of them jogged down to the building’s front entrance, Artoo wheeling along in tow. The astromech quickly unlocked the door, and everyone walked inside, before stopping abruptly, Caz nearly running into Anakin with his hurried pace.

“I sense something, Master,” Ahsoka said, narrowing her eyes and looking around at the walls. “And I don’t like it.”

“It’s the dark side,” Caz said, his voice quavering oh-so slightly as his grip tightened on his wan-shen. “Kark…”

“Just go back to the ship,” Anakin said a little too harshly than what he intended, and Caz looked up at him, apologetic. The dark side was influencing him, too, even here. “Look, I’m sorry, but I can’t have you holding us back right now. Not when there’s lives at stake.”

Caz looked down at the ground, clenching his jaw. He took a deep breath, and then exhaled it. He then began to shake himself out, doing a strange little dance as he forced himself to relax. Anakin watched him with an unreadable expression, but let the man finish his strange ritual.

The Matukai looked up at Anakin, before nodding. “Alright, let’s go.”

Anakin nodded back, and they continued along through the building, Artoo waiting at the door for them. After a couple more minutes of exploring, Ahsoka skidded to a stop. The three of them could hear the faint sound of a child crying, coming from each of the four hallways surrounding them.

“Do you hear that?” Ahsoka whispered, craning her head to attempt to pinpoint the sound.

“Yeah,” Caz said, his voice still a little shaky. “But...it’s coming from everywhere.”

Ahsoka closed her eyes and reached out through the Force, and Caz looked at her in surprise. He felt her earthy Force presence rush around him like quicksand, searching for the children. After a moment of eerie silence, Ahsoka pointed down one of the corridors.

“This way,” Ahsoka said, jaw set and expression determined. Anakin and Caz followed her without a moment’s doubt, the corridor seeming to get colder and colder as they moved down it.

Ahsoka and Anakin suddenly ignited their lightsabers and plunged them into a blast door, green and blue light sparking and making the metal a molten red. Caz fixed his wan-shen blade to the staff, the metal orange-yellow with heat. As the two Jedi carved an entrance into the doorway, Caz continued to warm up his wan-shen, using the Force to heat up the blade.

Anakin Force-pushed the door open, the metal cut-out slamming into the darkness in front of them. The trio crawled through their makeshift entryway, blades and sabers going away as they entered the darkened room.

Caz wasted no time, jogging over to one of the industrial looking cradles, hands jumping over the datapad attached to it with a sort of desperation. The crib hissed open to reveal nothing.

“Kark,” Caz said, his voice going somewhat hollow. “ _ Kark. _ Vash…”

“We’re too late,” Ahsoka said as she opened up another cradle. Caz stared down at his empty cot with a deadened expression--like he had failed someone other than himself. The man gripped the edge of the crib, shaking slightly.

“I can sense they’re still here,” Anakin said, and Caz looked up at him with a hopeful expression. His emotional state really seemed to change on a dime. Anakin and Ahsoka ignited their lightsabers with wary expressions, and Caz turned on the crib, a light coming on overhead and washing the room with a white tone, revealing three medical droids with younglings clutched in their grasp. 

The droids wasted no time, lunging from out of the darkness towards the Jedi and Matukai, circular saws protruding from their hands, younglings still under their arms. The trio ducked and weaved, and Anakin called out. “Be careful of the younglings!”

“I know, I know!” Ahsoka yelped as Caz front flipped over her, sweeping a robot off its feet, catching the youngling, and letting Ahsoka slash through it with her saber. Caz jumped away so she could continue dueling, as Anakin took on another nursing droid, carefully avoiding harming the youngling.

Suddenly, alarms began to wail, and the ground beneath everyone began to shift downwards, a crack opening in the floor directly below where Ahsoka and the nursing droid were dueling.

Caz rushed over to the control panel to try and fix the issue, placing his wan-shen behind his backpack straps as he attempted to stop the gravitational supports from collapsing. His hands whirred over the control panel, and the floor suddenly opened up beneath him, the youngling in his arms letting out a piercing wail. Caz was knocked to his stomach, and he began to slid downwards towards the lava river beneath him. 

“Catch!” Caz said as he slid towards the lava, tossing the human youngling up into the air. Anakin pulled it towards him with the Force as Caz whipped out his wan-shen, smashing it into the metal. The metal cut off his fall with a hissing screech, and Caz dangled above the lava as Anakin cradled the younglings in his arms.

Ahsoka sent the final nursing droid down into the lava, and something fell off it’s hip. Caz let go of the wan-shen for a moment to catch it, now holding on by one arm. He stuffed the object in his pocket, before pulling himself up the shaft of his wan-shen.

He planted his feet on the panel, before pushing off and upwards, launching him up into the air. A squirt of lava from the falling nurse droid caught on his arm, singing his robes right off and searing his skin. Caz landed on the wall opposite of Ahsoka and Anakin, the floor collapsing between the Jedi and the Matukai.

“You’re not gonna make that,” Anakin said, clearly concerned. 

Caz looked down at the lava below him, looked back up at the Jedi, and then took a running leap through the air, tumbling between the two Jedi. Ahsoka was working to get the door open as Anakin raised an eyebrow at Caz. 

“The panel’s fried,” Ahsoka said as Anakin carefully handed Caz a youngling so he could hold his saber again. 

“Where’s Artoo?” Anakin asked, looking around worriedly. Caz looked back down in the lava, hoping the astromech hadn’t fallen in.

As if on cue, the door opened in front of them, revealing the blue and white astromech, who gave them an irritated whir as the Jedi and Matukai jumped out of the room just before it collapsed.

Explosions rocked the building as the group tried to make their way back to the ship, following Anakin, who was tracing the ship using a standard-issue ship locator. Caz was nearly stabbed by a lava-covered piece of debris, but managed to catch it and toss it behind him, Ahsoka giving him a look of astonishment as they continued to run.

As they sped towards the landing platform, the comlink began to blink brightly in Caz’s pocket, his white tunic flashing blue. He pulled it out of his pocket, but whoever was calling hung up before Caz could see who it was.

The Matukai skidded into the ship just as the door closed, and the ship lifted into the air as the landing platform crumbled beneath them. Caz let out a heavy exhale, sliding down against a wall as Anakin began to fly the ship away from the planet. 

The youngling in his arms began to wail loudly, clearly sensing the stress all around it. Caz looked at it, at a loss for what to do, and began to stroke the baby’s head awkwardly. “Hey, it’s gonna be alright.” He placed a tender kiss on the youngling’s head, hoping it would help. “You’re safe now. Everything’s gonna be alright.”

The youngling cooed at this, and Ahsoka looked over at him, before gasping softly. “Caz, your arm.”

Caz looked over to where she was pointing, and saw the lava burn on his arm. “Oh. Don’t worry about it,” Caz said, honestly, brushing the ash off of his tunic. 

“Alright,” Ahsoka said as she cradled her own youngling, giving it a tight, reassuring squeeze. She didn’t have the energy to question the man right now. “If you say so.”

Caz looked down at the child in his arms again, and let out a heavy sigh. Vash was right. The Sith were beyond cruel, beyond cold. They had been ready to kill the younglings without hesitation. It made him sick to his stomach.

“Poor thing,” Caz murmured as the ship shot into hyperspace. He wasn’t sure if he was talking to the youngling, or speaking of his best friend.

* * *

In any other situation, Caz would have been gushing at the notion of standing in the Jedi Council room, let alone getting to meet some of the revered individuals. After spending his life reading whatever sparse Jedi texts the Matukai had, he had hoped that his first meeting with them wouldn’t have been under such grim circumstances.

The mental image of the crying youngling wouldn’t leave his head.

The comlink from the nurse droid sat heavy in his pocket as Ahsoka and Anakin began their report to the Council. Even though the Jedi had reassured Caz that he could just be silent, his heart was still thumping hard against his chest. Anakin’s fist was clenched at his side--clearly he wasn’t happy with the concept of the kidnapped children either.

“The base was completely destroyed, Master,” Anakin said, somewhat irritated as he looked at Obi-Wan, “and so was any clue as to who’s behind this.” Caz raised an eyebrow, and then pulled the comlink out of his pocket. “What’s that?”

“comlink,” Caz said shakily, attempting to turn it on, to no avail. “I managed to grab it before it fell into the lava.” The comlink became rather defunct, and Caz set it in Anakin’s hand, a little flushed. “Hope that helps.”

“It will,” Ahsoka whispered from Caz’s side, and the Matukai’s face split into a bright smile. 

“A positive development, this is,” Yoda said, eyeing the comlink. “Information there, use we may be able to.” Caz nodded eagerly. “But return to your Order, you must.”

“Right,” Caz said, looking down at the ground. Anakin could tell the man didn’t want to leave. “But...I can stay, you know...if you want me to.” He looked like a young boy confessing his love to his crush, foot twisting on the ground. “I could help you guys out--like I did right now.”

“You should be happy that not all missions are like this,” Windu said sharply, though his tone was slightly more polite now that Caz had rescued children. “Some are  _ much _ more dangerous than this. I don’t know if you have the capacity to manage in war time.”

Caz looked up at Windu, his face flushing a violent scarlet. It was clear he wore his emotions on his sleeve, especially on these matters. It was almost ridiculous how fast his facial expressions changed. “Oh...that makes sense.”

“If it makes you feel any better,” Anakin said, turning to the Matukai. “You’re the seventh person we’d call if we ever need aid.”

“Really?” Caz asked, and Ahsoka snickered a little bit, and the Matukai let out an exhale. “Oh, you’re joking. But I’m not,” he looked up at Anakin with a bright spark in his green eyes. “I’m here to help, if you ever need it.”

“Speak to the Matukai Council on this matter, you might,” Yoda said firmly, and Caz turned to the green creature. “Side project of ours, this may be.”

“Thank you for the thought,” Caz said with an ounce of respect and tone in his voice. He knew the little alien in front of him was the Jedi Grandmaster, and should be treated as such. 

Caz turned on his heel and exited the Council room, giving them one more unreadable look before rounding the corner.

“Should I guide him out?” Ahsoka asks her Master, who gestures for her to go ahead.

The Togruta jogs out of the Temple as Anakin finishes his report, and she catches up with the Matukai in no time, surprising him. 

“Ahsoka!” Caz said, excited to have remembered her name. “Did I forget something?”

“No,” Ahsoka said, walking next to him. “I’m making sure you don’t get lost.”

“Right,” Caz said, running his hand through his hair. “Thanks for doing that, but I memorized a diagram of the Jedi Temple a while back.” Ahsoka raised an eyebrow, and Caz pointed in a direction. “That’s where the exit is, right?”

“Yeah,” Ahsoka said, crossing her arms. “Where did you find a map of the Jedi Temple?”

“Uh,” Caz dragged it out as he began to backpedal away from her, getting further and further away with no answer. “Library!” He called out, before turning on his heel and booking it.

“Huh,” Ahsoka said, watching him leave. “The Matukai sure are interesting.”


	3. Legacy of Terror

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dismissed by the Jedi! After returning to Biredai, Caz Solus is left with a sense of discontent that leads him to meeting up with an old friend near the Matukai Temple! Meanwhile, Jedi Master Luminara Unduli is taken hostage by the Geonosians on their eponymous planet! As Obi-Wan and Anakin begin the search for her, Caz convinces an ally to help him...

**_ “Sometimes, you have to be selfish in order to be selfless.” _ **

* * *

**“You know, I don’t think this is legal. And by** **_legal,_ ** **I mean the Council doesn’t know I’m doing this.”**

Caz let out a strangled noise of desperation as he looked over at the Twi’lek, getting off the rattling iron stool and walking over to the comm system she was working at. It was a piecemeal system, compiled of tech from different planets that the Matukai had visited. She always insisted they bring her back a tech souvenir. 

The fifteen-year-old mechanic twisted dials and flicked levers with a half-hearted sense of abandon, the soft sound of static filling the ship garage.

“I...Eilara, if you don’t want to do this, I won’t force you,” Caz said as he looked over her shoulder, watching as she flicked through hundreds of comm frequencies at rapid speed. “But you understand why I need someone to do this, right?”

“Not really,” Eilara said honestly, taking off her pilot glasses and elbowing Caz in the stomach. “Personal space, remember?” Caz took a step back, hands in the air as if he were surrendering. She gave the Matukai a dry stare. “I mean, come on. We might as well be Separatists, trying to hack into Republic comm frequencies.”

“They haven’t contacted me!” Caz said in a borderline whine, and Eilara rolled her eyes before getting back to work. “Anakin promised they’d contact me if they needed anything.”

“Have you considered that they don’t need help from you?” Eilara asked, and Caz frowned, not wanting to think about it. “Or, even better yet, they don’t actually want to work with you?” Caz’s jaw dropped at the concept. “Nothing personal, but you’re an acquired taste, except in order to enjoy you, people need to lack it.”

“The last part was personal!” Caz exclaimed, pulling his jaw back up to his mouth. “I know you’ve seen the articles on the HoloNet! That battle on Geonosis has been going on for weeks! They might need help!”

“ _ Your  _ help?” Eilara asked, taking a sip of a fruity pink drink as she watched various figures flicking across the holoscreen.

“Ye--no, not  _ my _ help, specifically, but someone’s!” Caz said, crossing his arms, expression suddenly determined. “Anakin and Obi-Wan are on Geonosis! They could be dead!”

“You know better than anyone the inaccuracy of the media,” Eilara said, and Caz paled at the mention. “Also, cool your jets, dingbat.” She began to pull up a few infocaches, eyes darting back and forth as she scrolled through them. “If they were dead, it’d be all over the news already. Your  _ Jedi _ friends aren’t exactly nobodies.” Caz gave her an expectant look, and she sighed. “Fine, fine. But don’t you think you should tell someone else about this? You might’ve been able to escape the Council’s eye last time, but you’re going into the battlefield. The chances of you dying are...large.”

“I’ll tell someone, I promise,” Caz said earnestly. “I’m telling  _ you! _ ” 

Eilara scoffed, and suddenly, the holocom sensor turned a bright green. “I think I’ve found the frequency.” Caz darted forward, and she chucked her drink can at him. “I still need to decode it, pinhead.” Caz caught the can, but stopped in his tracks. “Why do you care so much about the Jedi, anyways? That wasn’t in your file. Other than the lightsabers, which are cool.”

“Their goals are admirable,” Caz said with no hesitation, clearly having thought about it for quite a while. “Plus, I think if I hadn’t gotten sick, and if I had been a little stronger in the Force, I would’ve been a good Jedi.”

“They would’ve tempered you, that’s for sure,” Eilara said, and Caz snorted. “You’d definitely have been a little less…”

“Don’t even,” Caz said, his tone lighthearted with a joke, and Eilara laughed. 

“No, but I get what you’re saying,” Eilara muttered. “If Kiban’uu hadn’t sabotaged the  _ Trident _ , I’d be in a totally different position. One where I wouldn’t have to deal with this.” A light blinked green on her screen, and she tapped it with her pudgy finger.

A soldier popped up on the screen, rifle clutched at his hip. Eliara pushed back with her chair, “Well, would you look at that. It’s a Republic clone trooper.” Caz rushed forwards, and the Twi’lek tossed a lekku behind her shoulder, taking on a mocking voice. “‘Gee, thanks Eilara! You’re so cool, Eilara! I’m so happy I have you to help me with all my problems!’”

“Hello!” Caz said, leaning forward into the comlink, eyes on the trooper. He had never seen one outside of photos and music-infested propaganda, and was curious on what they sounded and acted like. “Are you in a state of peril?”

“Who the hell--” The clone cocked his head in confusion, before there was a screeching noise, and a spearhead protruded from the clone trooper’s chest. Eilara let out a horrified shriek, and Caz’s eyes widened. “Grk--ugh--”

“Kark, kark,” Caz said, unable to help the man. “Ah,  _ kark _ where are you? Geonosis? I know Anakin and Obi-Wan--I can get to you if you tell me where you are!”

“Give him a minute to answer, will you?” Eilara called from behind Caz, and the Matukai fell silent at the suggestion.

“Geo--nosis,” the clone stammered out, and Caz nodded to show he understood. “Cata--ack-catacombs.”

The clone’s hands fumbled around the blood-covered spear, comlink falling to the ground and turning off as the clone collapsed on top of it. Caz let out a small noise of horror, and there was a retching noise from behind him. He turned to see Eilara throwing up in a bowl.

“You never get used to that,” Eilara said in between regurgitations.

“The Geonosis catacombs,” Caz repeated after the clone, picking up the keys to his ship from Eilara’s desk. “Did you fix the  _ Javelin? _ ”

“Can we take a minute to think about the guy who just died?” Eilara asked, straightening and looking at Caz with wide eyes.

“Any more time we waste is another life gone,” Caz said with a sudden amount of conviction, and Eilara was a little surprised. “We couldn’t have helped him, but we can help them. We have to act now.”

“Doesn’t change the fact that he deserves to be grieved,” Eilara said firmly, and Caz nodded in understanding. “Yes, the  _ Javelin _ is fixed. If you find that clone...can you bring me his helmet?”

“Sure,” Caz murmured, giving Eilara an apologetic glance. “I don’t mean to be insensitive--”

“--you mean to be efficient,” Eilara finished out the quote. “Never thought I’d see the day that you quote Tinis Honall.”

Caz let out an uneasy laugh. “Well, you know how it goes.” 

“Don’t die out there,” Eilara said as Caz began to walk towards his ship. 

“I won’t,” Caz said, turning and giving her a winning smile. “I’ll be back before you know I’m gone. Don’t even worry about it.”

“But I do worry,” Eilara muttered as Caz ran towards the HWK-290 light freighter that was the  _ Javelin _ . “I really do.”

She picked up her toolbox and moved in the opposite direction of the Matukai, over to another Matukai ship to be fixed before another mission.

From across the hangar, Caz smiled at his ship. It had once been his father’s, a Matukai like him, and it was in pristine condition because of it. Caz insisted that he knew it better than Eilara did, and insisted he clean it himself. Most recently, he’d had to clean the stench of animal feces out after the Nabooian wildlife had a field day in his ship.

As the entry hatch clicked open, Caz looked around at the walls, covered in souvenirs and mementos from his missions--a scarlet sash, a meditation band, a jar containing a scorpion-like bug encased in bright blue gel.

He entered the two-man cockpit and started up the engines, flicking levers and clicking buttons without even looking, feeling more than content in the comforts of his ship. Of course, he’d be flying into a battlefield with no flag to signify his allegiance, which doubled his chances of getting shot down. But he wasn’t  _ too _ concerned.

After all, the Force would keep him safe.

* * *

Anakin Skywalker  _ seriously  _ hated sand at the moment. You’d think a kid from Tatooine would’ve grown tolerant of it, but Geonosis was a whole other reason to dislike the grainy dust. Trivial thoughts, Kenobi would’ve told him, but he could care less at the moment.

Ten minutes ago, he, Obi-Wan and Ki-Adi-Mundi were stuck inside a ship in the middle of a sandstorm,  _ while  _ Luminara Unduli was still in the hands of the Geonosians. Well, not hands, but  _ mandibles _ . Either way, it was a chilling reminder of what had happened to his mother.

But for now, his frustration had subsided. Anakin and Obi-Wan had landed at Luminara’s last known location with a squadron of clone troopers. None of Unduli’s clones had come back to base, so they had to assume the worst--that they were all dead or dying. The Geonosians seldom took prisoners.

They were now walking into a decrepit Geonosian temple or something of that manner, with the Ghost squadron spreading out and canvassing the area with controlled precision in order to find some clue of where the Jedi Master had gone.

It didn’t take them long to find something.

“General,” Cody said, kneeling down next to the dead body of a green-clad clone trooper. “Buzz is dead.”

“Any sign of Luminara?” Anakin asked, his tone grim as he looked down at the trooper at his feet. He didn’t like the thought of Unduli dying at the hands of these bugs. She had been kind to him during his early days at the Temple, she didn’t deserve a death in the dark, cold catacombs.

“No, sir,” Cody replied, turning away from Buzz’s body. Anakin couldn’t see through the commander’s helmet, but he could feel the man’s grief, though it was muted by the horrors of war. His mind turned to Caz Solus, a man untouched by the war. He was glad he had no need to call the man again--he was better off.

“There was a struggle,” Obi-Wan decided, stepping away from several clone corpses. His eyebrows were raised as he walked over and knelt down in front of Luminara’s discarded saber. “This is not a good sign.” He picked it up and handed it to Anakin. 

“Poggle didn’t do this,” Anakin said, his hands curling over the saber before he clipped it to his belt, expression somber. He glanced up at the menacing stone figure looming over them all. “But maybe  _ that _ did.”

“That is one ugly bug,” Waxer added as they all looked up at the Geonosian. Baked teeth and bulbous stone eyes stared back at them. Anakin half expected it to blink and then lunge at them. 

“I haven’t seen one that looks like that before…” Anakin said hesitantly.

“I don’t think anyone has,” Obi-Wan murmured in reply. “It could be the Geonosian queen.”

“The bugs have a queen?” Anakin asked, raising his eyebrows in surprise, his hand going for his lightsaber at the concept.

“Rumored,” Obi-Wan added, and Anakin’s hand fell at his side. “But we haven’t found any proof of its existence...until now.” The Jedi peered down at the entrance to the catacombs. “This way.”

“Come on, then,” Cody said to his men, adjusting his comm antennae to the subterranean frequency. “Let’s move.”

Anakin and Obi-Wan ignited their lightsabers as they descended into the catacombs, bathing the walls in a cold blue light. The tunnels were putried and smelled of corpses and worms, with bits of rock and bone littering the sandy stone floor. 

Strangely enough, though, the ground wasn’t layered with dust and the ceilings did not hang with cobwebs. As old as the tunnels appeared, they had been traversed very recently, by Republic forces or otherwise. The blue light of the sabers on the walls gave the area a ghostly feel.

After a few moments of walking through the catacombs, Cody’s minimap had gathered enough information to form an accurate diagram of the labyrinthian underground. Cody pointed down a passageway that Anakin was heading towards, saying, “That leads to a dead end.” He then dropped down to one knee, shining his flashlight into a crawlspace barely large enough for a child to slip through. “This one goes down the furthest, sir. I’d say this is our best bet.”

“H..help,” a weak, croaking voice came from behind the group, and Anakin’s neck popped with how fast he turned to face it. “P…” Violent coughing began to echo all around the walls. “Please…”

Anakin ran over to the dying clone, making quick note of the symbol on his pauldron.  _ One of Luminara’s men. _ He was more focused on the blood dripping from the man’s stomach and helmet, a bloody spear next to him.  _ How is he even alive? _

“Yobbo!” Boil and Waxer said in unison, dropping to their knees and sliding over to their comrade. “Who did this to you?”

“Karking” --Yobbo choked again, making Obi-Wan wince-- “bugs! Called--help. On” --he let out a wheeze-- “the way!”

“What help?” Anakin asked as Waxer and Boil pulled out medkits, only to be stopped by Cody. He knew a hopeless situation when he saw one--they were too far from the surface to bring him proper medical help, and bandages wouldn’t help blood loss and infection.

“Who’d you call, Yobz?” Waxer asked, helping Yobbo lean forwards a bit. “Yobz?” The clone’s head lolled backwards, and Waxer exhaled. “Kriff...I’m sorry, brother.”

“We need to keep moving,” Boil said curtly, though his voice wavered ever so slightly. “Come on, Wax.”

Boil rewrapped his roll of bandages as fast as he could, pulling Waxer away from Yobbo’s body, sand plumes flying into the air as the corpse fell out of Waxer’s arms and onto the ground.

“I’ll go first,” Obi-Wan said tenderly, getting on all fours and adjusting the length of his lightsaber to fit in the small tunnel. The rhythmic beeping of Cody’s holomap guided them through the passageway.

As it turned out, the small tunnel opened into a larger one, with rusted steel arches holding up the ceiling. If it was possible, this section of the catacombs looked older than the previous one. Triangular doors were set into stone-paved walls, the stench of death only getting stronger, a sign they were going in the right direction. Anakin pinched his nose in disgust.

“It reeks in here,” Anakin said, breathing in and out through his mouth to keep from smelling the acrid odor. He could almost taste it on his tongue, and wished he had an oxygen filter like the clones did. One of the few times he wanted a helmet.

“Indeed,” Obi-Wan muttered, waving at his nose as he looked at the tri-pronged Geonosian footprints on the ground, along with a strange imprint that looked like something being dragged. “I think Luminara--” He cut himself off as his comlink began to vibrate in his pocket.

He pulled it out, and Luminara’s kneeling figure appeared in front of them. “If you’re following me, you must leave this place. Just get out. I repeat, fall ba--”

Her figure was yanked out of view by something that was  _ definitely _ Geonosian talons, and Anakin’s eyes widened.  _ Not good _ . It looked like she was fighting something, but the comm shut off shortly after.

“She must be close by,” Obi-Wan deduced, stuffing the comlink back in his robes and taking off down the tunnel. “Come on.”

Everyone picked up the pace, running through the corridors as something watched them from small holes in the wall. 

Quiet clicking echoed throughout the catacombs, and Kenobi skidded to a stop, holding his lightsaber in front of his space in a defensive Soresu stance. Cody turned his flashlight towards the shadows of the plaza they seemed to have entered, and shambling Geonosians began to make their way out of the darkness.

“I don’t like the look of this,” Kenobi said, and his men drew and readied their blasters, flicking from stun to kill.

Anakin turned back to where they had come from to see more Geonosian zombies hobbling towards them, worms poking out of their noses, ears, and mouths. He ignited his lightsaber and turned to his former master.

“Yeah, me neither.”

* * *

Status update--the Force was _ not _ keeping him safe.

Not  _ only  _ had he evaded a Republic and Separatist fighter squadron on his way down, but he’d had to sneak through and around several clone squadrons surrounding an entrance to the catacombs. He’d only spent a collective time of one hour on the planet, and he already wanted off.

The steaming hot surface wouldn’t have bothered him so much if everything there wasn’t trying to kill him, and the catacombs wouldn’t have been so bad if there hadn’t been  _ zombies. _

They had crawled out of the ground, the ceiling, sliding doors, hissing and clicking and limping around like amputees with a place to be. Amputees with a penchant for attacking a particular Matukai.

It was like they could  _ smell _ him from klicks away. They infested the catacombs like termites, and Caz had little doubt that Anakin and Obi-Wan, whom he had been tracking for the past twenty minutes, were dealing with the same problem.

He’d managed to shake off a few of his undead friends for a moment, sticking to the more well-lit areas of the catacombs, which were few and very far between. Caz would generally dislike going underground like this, but he was focused on finding his friends--could he call them friends?--and could push aside his dislike of the underground.

“Oh, hell,” Caz said as his boot crushed a brittle ribcage lying on the stone floor. His wan-shen was being used as a staff at the moment, or a white cane for how dark the passageways were. 

He would’ve heated up his wan-shen blade a bit, but phrik didn’t cast as much light as Caz had hoped it would. When he forged his wan-shen, a light source hadn’t been his first priority. 

Caz continued to make his way through the catacombs with little problem, at least until he heard the unmistakable sound of a lightsaber cleaving through something. Caz’s ears immediately picked up on it, and he knew where to go.

He took a left and approached a mess of blue blades and red blaster bolts, along with swarms of zombie Geonosians. Caz leapt into the battle, strapping his blade to the pike and beheading a few Geonosians. More came to replace them, and Caz saw two Geonosians dragging a clone trooper into the shadows, unable to help him.

“Back! Everyone back!” Obi-Wan called out from across the plaza. “Take out the tunnel supp--Caz?”

The Matukai bisected a zombie and planted a foot into the creature’s face before turning to the Jedi. “Yo!” 

He sprinted towards them, managing to body-slam a Geonosian into one of the ancient pillars holding up the cave. More blaster bolts hit the other pillars, and grenades were tossed past Caz’s head, the troopers not recognizing him.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Anakin asked as pebbles and dust began to rain from the ceiling. “How...how are you here?”

“Well, you see, I--”

“Talk later,” Obi-Wan said sternly, and the group piled into a crawlspace. As they made their way through, rocks filled up their entry point, only leaving one way forwards--hopefully the right one.

Smoke filled the space from the collapse behind them, and Caz clutched his wan-shen to his stomach, nearly poking Anakin’s eye out from the length of it. 

One by one, the clones and Jedi made their way out of the crawlspace and into a newer tunnel.

Anakin was immediately on the case, shaking sand out of his hair before looking down at the stone-filled crawlspace. “What  _ were  _ those things? We couldn’t kill them.”

“I’ve heard stories of a Geonosian hive mind so strong, so powerful that it can maintain control of it’s warriors even after they have died,” Obi-Wan said, brushing off his robes as he took several deep breaths, leaning against a copper pillar.

Anakin walked over to his Jedi Master as Caz eagerly shook the hands of all the surviving clone troopers. “And you think that’s why we couldn’t kill them? Because they’re--”

“--already dead,” Obi-Wan said with a cold confirmation, stroking his beard.

“That can’t be true!” Anakin said as he crossed his arms, sweat beading on his jaw. “That’s impossible!”

“Impossible or not, these creatures keep moving even after we’ve cut them up or shot them down,” Obi-Wan said with a dour finality. He pushed off the pole and walked over to the Matukai, who was looking at Boil and Waxer with a worried expression. “But, since we’re handling problems in a linear fashion, care to tell us how and why you are here, Caz?”

Caz turned away from the clones, his face flushing red, his expression confused. “Well...I…” he trailed off slowly, his face almost lighting up the room with how embarrassed he looked.

“No, continue, please,” Obi-Wan said sternly. 

Caz let out a sigh, and looked up at Obi-Wan. “I saw you guys on the HoloNet...they said you were going to Geonosis. Two weeks of no updates and I thought...thought you guys might’ve needed some aid.”

“That still doesn’t explain how you figured out that we were in the catacombs,” Anakin said, raising his eyebrow and putting his hands on his hips. 

Caz was silent for a while, before letting out a flabbergasted noise and speaking at hyperspeed. “So I might have had a friend hack into a Republic comm frequency and spoke to a trooper who got speared in the stomach” --Boil let out a soft gasp-- “and he told me you guys were here. I’m here. I’m here.” 

“And as much as I’d like to say I’m happy that you’re here,” Obi-Wan said, his brows knit tight, “what you’ve just confessed to--hacking into a Republic comm frequency--is a serious crime. Even if it indirectly led to our lives being saved.”

Caz looked at Obi-Wan like the Jedi had just slapped him across the face. “But...but I came to help. You guys…” He turned to the clones, as if he expected them to raise their blasters and pull out cuffs. “...you guys aren’t going to arrest me, right?”

“No, we’re not,” Anakin said, emphasizing on the ‘not’ to reassure Caz and convince Kenobi. “We know we can trust you, Caz, so I’m sure we can trust whoever hacked the frequency, right?”

“Absolutely, yes, of course,” Caz sputtered out, and a few clones snickered at his flustered attitude. “She’s very trustworthy. I...what’s the word...I coerced her into working with me--you don’t have to apprehend her, either.”

“For the second time, we’re not arresting you,” Anakin said, and Caz relaxed, his face returning to a normal hue. 

“However, once we get out of here, I’ll have to speak to the Council on it,” Obi-Wan said, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Anakin, call for reinforcements.” Caz looked over at Obi-Wan, his expression shocked. _But...I thought I was the reinforcements._ “Caz, you’re one man. Don’t take it personally.”  
“No, of course not,” Caz stuttered out. A few clones snickered, and Caz covered his face, probably to hide the fact that he was turning yet another violent shade of red.

Anakin flicked on his comlink, and the machine beeped softly, before the blinking red light fluttered off. He smacked it a few times before letting out a groan of indignation. “Damn,” the Jedi said with a huff. “There’s no signal.”

“We must be too far underground,” Kenobi said, looking up at the dusty ceiling with a slight frown. Caz pulled out his own comlink and waved his hand over it, it’s triangular shape different from Anakin’s ovalesque one. Kenobi raised an eyebrow at Caz. “Yours?”

“Mine,” Caz muttered, trying to be a little helpful. It let out a soft green light as he activated it and waved his hand back and forth in front of it. “I don’t have the frequency on here, though.”

“Didn’t you hack it?” Waxer asked with a snicker, and Caz let out an embarrassed whimper. “Shouldn’t you know the code?”

“I didn’t memorize it or anything,” Caz said, looking up at Obi-Wan sheepishly. “I just...you know, thought it’d be kind of rude. I can contact the Matukai if you’d like, though. I’m sure they’d be happy to hel” --Caz’s voice declined into silence as his signal died out-- “well, nevermind, then.”

Kenobi shook his head, unsure of what he had been expecting. He turned to look at two of his men, who straightened their posture immediately. “You two. Head to the surface and contact General Mundi. Tell him we need reinforcements as soon as possible.”  
“Yessir,” the clones said curtly, pulling up their minimaps and jogging back the way they came from. 

Caz watched them go, their white and yellow armor melting into the darkness of the catacombs. “How many reinforcements are they going to bring?”

“Enough, hopefully,” Anakin said, turning and looking down the tunnel he planned to head down. 

“Right, right,” Caz said, following Anakin’s gaze down the tunnel. “Uh...why are we here, anyways? Down here? I…I’m just not--”

“We’re rescuing an ally of ours,” Kenobi explained as the group went down the largest tunnel. “Luminara Unduli was kidnapped by what we  _ think _ is a Geonosian queen.” Caz looked like he wanted to hurl. “You know what she looks like?”

“I mean, she looks like the thing on the doorway, right?” Caz asked, thinking back to when he entered the catacombs. “I went in through a temple and there was this giant bug statue with…” He shuddered. “It was weird.”

“So the bugs have a lot of temples around here,” Cody said, shining his flashlight on the walls and watching centipedes skitter away. “No wonder they’re so karked up...they worship something like that?”

Caz looked at Cody, and the Matukai looked like he wanted to say something, but piped down when he heard a horrified scream come from behind him. He immediately turned on his heel and ran backwards, Anakin yelling his name as he jogged into the darkness. “Caz! Where are you going?”

“Stars above,” Obi-Wan sighed as Anakin jogged after him, watching his former apprentice follow a missile Matukai on a mission into the shadows of the catacombs. “Cody, you keep going, I’ll be right back with you.”

The clones continued down the tunnel as Anakin and Caz ran back to where the clones had come from.

By the time the Matukai arrived, the clones were already dead, splayed out on the ridged floor with limbs at unnatural angles. He knelt down in front of one of them, before gently easing the helmet off of the man’s head.

Anakin skidded to a stop, nearly tripping over Caz as he ignited his lightsaber. “How can you even see? It’s pitch…” He trailed off as the light from his blade illuminated Caz’s horrified face, pale as a sheet as he looked at the clone’s face. Eyes rolled back, tongue lolling out, skin sallow and jaw unhinged. “Looks like these things are a lot more powerful than we thought.”

Caz’s hand went to the clone’s eyes, carefully closing them. Obi-Wan jogged into the tunnel, blue light from his saber making the area brighter, casting light into the clone’s mouth.

“I’m going back to the surface to alert General Mundi myself,” Anakin decided as Caz leaned over Gearshift’s body, hand going into the clone’s mouth and pulling out a worm. He then walked over to Nysar, pulling off his helmet and closing the man’s eyes, pulling a worm out of his nose.

“That would be a foolhardy move, Anakin,” Obi-Wan said honestly, and Anakin looked back at his Master, a little irritated. Caz placed Nysar and Gearshift’s helmets at their sides, and then turned to look back up at Anakin and Obi-Wan. It wasn’t his place to make a decision for them, but Obi-Wan was right. “We can’t divide our troops again,” Obi-Wan continued as Caz got to his feet, pulling a small pouch out of his backpack and placing the worms in it. “We don’t have time to double back to the surface. Every moment we waste puts Luminara in greater danger.”  
Anakin looked back at Caz, who was stuffing his drawstring pouch into one of his pockets. “What’re your thoughts, Caz? Wanna go back up to the surface and pick up some _reinforcements_ or go it alone against _undead zombies_?”

Caz looked up at Anakin, and then back down at the dead clones. Anakin shut his mouth as he realized Caz wasn’t going to answer. He then turned to Obi-Wan, and nodded. “Alright. Let’s go save Master Unduli.”

The two Jedi began to walk off, but stopped and turned back when they realized Caz wasn’t finished with whatever he was doing with the clones. He pulled out a small jar of something aromatic, and dipped his finger in it, spreading the ash on the troopers’ chest plates in a sun design. He then got to his feet, tucking the jar away and giving the clones a moment of silence.

Anakin and Obi-Wan didn’t have the heart to tell him that he wouldn’t have time to grieve every life lost. But even though they’d long since gotten used to it, there was something very touching about watching the young man grieve for people he hardly knew.

“Alright,” Caz said, turning back to Obi-Wan and Anakin with a half-hearted smile. “Let’s go.”

* * *

Luminara Unduli was born and raised a Jedi. Peace, serenity and tranquility--tenets of the Jedi Code and culture--were all she’d ever known. She’d never felt compelled to form attachments, romantic or otherwise, and she’d never truly felt fear. After all, fear was the path to the dark side. Even in wartime, when she’d thought she’d seen it all, she managed to keep a calm facade and a straight face, simply trusting the Force to guide her when the time came.

However, if the Force was asking her to continue sitting in front of this hideous egg-laying alien queen, Luminara might just have to trust her own gut for a little while.

She’d been chained up for Force knows how long, and her arms had long since lost blood flow, feeling numb. Her head was spinning and her stomach churned from the scent of death all around her, and the squelching sound of eggs being laid all around her.

Of course, Poggle the Lesser simply stood in front of her and the Geonosian queen, simply staring. Every now and then, he’d poke Luminara with a vibrostaff, but apparently the queen didn’t want Luminara to be bleeding all over the floor of her birth cathedral.

So for now, she was stuck in moderate pain, surrounded by hundreds of Geonosians--alive and undead--with at least a thousand eggs, and a hive queen with an eardrum-shattering screech. The chamber itself had high arching ceilings with ancient pillars. All the more acoustics for the queen to scream in. The Geonosians clicked and grunted all around her, and she could only tell which ones were dead from the living ones due to their shuffling gait or life force.

A dull nudge from the back of her mind brought her to attention as she was suddenly able to sense Anakin’s supernova-like Force presence very close by. He couldn’t have been much further past the shadowy edges of her prison.

Blue lightning flickered through her body as she peered towards the entrance, trying to be subtle as to not attract Poggle or the queen’s attention. She could see the faintest blue behind the door--the blue of a lightsaber, not her glowing chains--and she felt relief and unease pooling in her stomach. Her allies were here...but she told them to leave.

Knowing Obi-Wan, however, he would like to investigate why the queen hadn’t just snapped her neck or impaled her on a javelin. And though Luminara was slightly interested as well, she would probably prefer Anakin’s plan this time.

Assuming Anakin’s plan  _ wasn’t _ to jokingly go along with Kenobi.

She focused more on the Jedi and their presences, feeling the Light Side of the Force soothing her, bringing a metaphorical light into the darkness of her prison. She could’ve sworn there was another presence there, small and wild, but she didn’t have the energy to focus on it.

But despite the presence’s chaoticness, there was something inherently peaceful about it. It wasn’t Barriss’ or Ahsoka’s--she would recognize theirs. This presence was much smaller than Anakins, but somehow, more  _ open _ to the Force.

She didn’t have time to focus on it as Kenobi and Skywalker strolled down the aisle, a figure in green robes following in suit. 

_ Is that...the Matukai?  _ Luminara thought as her vision swam.  _ I believe I might’ve missed that meeting. Windu didn’t tell me he would be on Geonosis, or that he was even a part of the Republic. _

_ Focus, Luminara, _ she berated herself, keeping her eyes on Kenobi and Skywalker.  _ If he is here, then it is the way of the Force. _

The Geonosians stepped and shuffled away from them as they beelined for the gargantuan Geonosian queen.

Luminara managed a soft smile as she looked at her allies, and the queen let out a shriek of indignance as she looked down on her visitors. The Jedi and Matukai seemed to be bickering over something, though she could hardly hear it over the ringing in her ears. The Matukai’s face flushed as red as a tomato, and his mouth shut with an audible snap.  _ If they don’t free me soon, I’m afraid I might fall deaf. _

“I thought I told you not to follow me, Master Kenobi,” Luminara said, her voice hoarse from disuse, and sounding very far away.

“Yes, well, I took a lesson from Anakin and decided  _ not _ to follow orders,” Kenobi said with a smirk, and Anakin glanced at him, looking quite offended. The Matukai let out a little noise of undefined emotion as he looked up at Luminara. He tried to give her a reassuring smile, but it came out looking like a grimace.

“You,” the queen said, pointing down at the group with one of her six arms. “You...you are the creatures that attacked Geonosia.” The Matukai put up a finger in protest, but lowered it when Anakin elbowed him. “Why have you...come before me?”

Even her normal voice was grating and rasping, reminiscent of nails on unrefined durasteel. Luminara didn’t have to look at the queen to understand why the Matukai’s cheeks expanded, like he was about to hurl.

“Your Majesty, it is a pleasure to finally meet you,” Kenobi said with his signature politeness and grandiose. “I am Obi-Wan Kenobi, and these are my lieges, Anakin Skywalker and Caz Solus. It is our sad duty to inform you that your rule is at an end.”

“Yeah,” Caz echoed, and Anakin elbowed him again.

The white eyes of the zombie Geonosians all turned to the group, before staring up at Luminara hungrily. After a moment of consideration, the queen snarled out her reply. “You not dictate me, Jedi. My empire is  _ forever _ .”

“I’m afraid it does not appear that way, Your Grace,” Obi-Wan said with a disappointed shake of the head, and Luminara shot him a warning glance.  _ Is he trying to get all of us killed?  _ “You shall release the Jedi, Luminara Unduli, and submit to Republic law.”

Caz Solus continued to nod in agreement, and the queen jabbed a finger at him in particular, as if he was the one speaking. She clenched all her other fists and let out a roar. “I no submit...to you!”

In an instant, the Geonosian warriors lifted their spears towards the three men and Luminara. Anakin drew his lightsaber, and Caz put a hand on Anakin’s lightsaber hilt, signalling for him to stop. “I think I can handle this,” he said.

“Uh-huh, sure,” Anakin said as he tossed one of the Geonosians his lightsaber, forcing it to fall backwards in order to catch it. Obi-Wan handed another Geonosian his blade, and Caz popped his satchel off of his backpack and handed it to a zombie, before passing another one his wan-shen blade.

“Majesty,” Obi-Wan tried again, and Luminara noticed Caz subtly tapping his backpack. “Destroying us shall only make the Republic’s judgement of you harsher!” Anakin’s hand wiggled into Caz’s backpack, feeling around for something.

The queen growled in response to Obi-Wan, her golden jewelry clanking as she leaned forward. “No, Jedi. No! I no destroy you.” Anakin let out a soft hiss of pain, before slowly pulling something out of Caz’s backpack. “I  _ devour _ you. I  _ control _ you.” Poggle and Luminara both looked up at the queen, her bulbous throat hanging down over the Jedi. “I had but one Jedi before young Poggle bring me. Now, I have  _ four. _ ”

“Give me that,” Caz whispered, and Anakin shook his head, hiding whatever he was holding behind his back.

“Now watch,” the queen said as Caz’s hand seemed to go into his backpack from  _ beneath _ it. A zombie Geonosian began to hobble towards Poggle, holding a small, yellow-brown egg in his hands. The larva was leaking green slime, and a worm slithered in between the Geonosian’s nostrils. “Watch as my child enters your Jedi friend.”

Caz used his other hand to hold up his backpack as he grabbed something else, nudging Kenobi with his hip and passing him something. Kenobi looked at him in surprise, before taking the object.

Despite the fact that the Matukai seemed to have a plan, Luminara’s eyes still widened in fright at the concept of being possessed by the worm. Poggle looked at the egg in his hands, before staring at Luminara with an expression of anticipation.

“And once inside,” the queen continued on, jabbing violently at her own head, “ _ her _ mind becomes  _ my _ mind.” Poggle pulled the worm out of the egg, and Caz looked to Anakin, who had something glinting in his hand. “ _ Her _ thoughts,  _ my _ thoughts.”

“It’s a sort of mind control, a hive mind,” Kenobi said, almost awestruck. His hands were laced in front of him, and Luminara would’ve dropped her jaw at Obi-Wan’s nerve, had she not been worried that the worm would make a dive into it. “She thinks she can possess us.”

“She’s getting pretty close to ‘possessing’ Master Unduli,” Caz said as politely as possible, and Anakin nodded in agreement.

“Yeah,” Anakin hissed. “You find out everything you want to know yet?”

“No, wait,” Kenobi said, stroking his beard in thought as his free hand went to Caz’s him, bumping him with something. “I want to see how this works. Please hold.” He integrated the command so smoothly into his dialogue that the Geonosians didn’t notice Caz grabbing whatever was in Kenobi’s hand.

“I don’t think Luminara wants to know how it works!” Anakin said, and Luminara couldn’t agree more.

“No, I don’t,” she said as urgently as possible, before pressing her lips together as Poggle brought the worm closer to her face. She desperately wished she could close her ears and nose.  _ Not like this, not like this. _

“I’m curious,” Obi-Wan stated, and Anakin rolled his eyes. Caz gave Obi-Wan a look befitting of what Luminara was feeling at the moment. “The more we know, the better!”

“I disagree!” Luminara said, craning her head back as the worm got closer and closer to her. “Strongly!”

“I have one of those worms in my pocket,” Caz whispered to Obi-Wan. “We can save her and study it later.”

“Those worms are dead,” Kenobi said, and Luminara let out an anxious hum. “I want to see what it does when it’s  _ alive _ .”

“I disagree with that,” Anakin said, looking up at Luminara worriedly. Caz pressed his lips together and looked up at Luminara, before drawing her attention to his hands. She looked down to see a small blaster staring back up at her. 

“Come now,” Obi-Wan said with mock-sternness. “The nose or the ear, which do you think it’ll enter?”

Anakin sighed, and Luminara pushed her head as far back as possible to avoid the worm. “I think the nose.”

The worm slithered onto Luminara’s face, leaving a green trail of slime as it searched for an orifice to enter. She scrunched her nose as she spoke, keeping the worm from entering through her nostrils. “I hope this is part of your plan!”

“Isn’t it always?” Obi-Wan asked, and Caz drew the blaster, shooting one of the manacles on Luminara’s hand. She immediately snatched the worm off of her face as Obi-Wan called out, “Cody, now!”

The room was suddenly flooded with harsh white light, and the Geonosian queen shrieked, using her multitude of arms to cover up her eyes. Her zombie foot soldiers scuttered into whatever shadows they could find, and Luminara’s eyes adjusted just fast enough to see Anakin slicing the arm off of a Geonosian, before catching a lightsaber and tossing it to Luminara.

Caz began to fire his blaster at the Geonosian’s limbs, though it was somewhat ineffective for the undead ones. His weapon was similar to the ones Luminara saw politicians carrying, small and smooth. 

As the two Jedi began to mow through several of the Geonosians, Luminara used her lightsaber to free herself from her chains. Clones came out from behind the pillars, firing on the Geonosians as the chamber fell into chaos.

“Caz!” Anakin called out as he beheaded a Geonosian. The Matukai turned from the zombie he was fistfighting with, and Anakin tossed him his wan-shen satchel. Caz ducked beneath the zombie’s spear and jumped into the air, catching his supplies and opening the satchel, assembling it as he hit the ground.

Luminara finally had a moment to breathe, and she didn’t waste it. She lunged for Poggle as the Jedi, clones and Matukai continued to thin out the Geonosian forces. Anakin impaled two living bugs on his lightsaber as Obi-Wan kicked a zombie straight into another’s spear. Cody and his men continued to fire on the living Geonosians as Caz cast aside his blaster and twirled his wan-shen, decapitating several zombies with a fatal slice.

The battle came to a brief standstill when Luminara put her lightsaber against Poggle’s throat. She turned to the Geonosian, who clicked nervously as he stiffened his neck. 

Anakin looked up at Luminara and tossed her a pair of handcuffs, which she quickly put on the Separatist leader. Luminara guided Poggle through the quickly emptying chamber, and Obi-Wan managed to pull a brain worm out of a zombie’s ear.

Skywalker then sprinted over to Obi-Wan, slapping the worm out of his hand and crushing it beneath his foot. “Look out! What, are you crazy?”

“I was going to study that,” Obi-Wan said, clearly irritated. 

“Study my boot,” Anakin said simply. The clones began to fire on the chamber supports, and Anakin Force-pulled Caz away from a horde of zombies. Caz looked back at him, clearly not expecting the movement, and Anakin shook his head. “We gotta get moving.”

The ceiling began to crumble as everyone evacuated towards the one exit of the chamber. The queen let out a final, ear-splitting shriek before getting crushed by a massive boulder. Caz visibly flinched at the anguish in the queen’s shriek, but Luminara kept him moving nonetheless, grabbing him by the front of his robe until he decided to keep running.

The birth chamber crumbled just as they managed to escape, with a few clones trailing behind to stop any Geonosians who managed to crawl through the cracks. Luminara turned back just in time to see them being devoured by the zombies. Luckily, Caz didn’t notice it. Luminara had a feeling the Matukai would still try to save a lost cause.

After a few minutes of aimless running, they reached a patch of sunlight. Luminara skidded to a stop, and Caz tumbled to the ground, since she was still holding on to his tunic. She glanced up and saw the yellow sky. The Jedi Master felt relief pool in her stomach as she flicked her lightsaber off and pointed upwards. 

“This is our way out,” she said to Anakin, Obi-Wan and Caz, before letting go of the Matukai and leaping up into the shaft, scaling it inch by inch.

Caz looked up at it apprehensively, and Obi-Wan chucked Poggle into the shaft with the Force. Anakin jumped up after the Separatist, before looking down at Caz, Obi-Wan, and the clones. “Well, come on, start climbing!”

Obi-Wan jumped up into the tunnel and began to ascend, the clone troopers following. Caz continued to fire on the approaching Geonosians, before heading the caboose of their single-file climbing team.

Luminara lead the way, with Poggle, Anakin, Obi-Wan and the clones in tow. Caz put himself in a sitting position and began to fire downwards with his blaster, shooting blindly in hopes of keeping the zombies from climbing up with them.

“Look out!” Luminara said as a rock tumbled from the skylight. Anakin and Poggle managed to avoid it, but it conked Obi-Wan on the head, forcing him to lose his grip. However, Anakin managed to catch him with his bionic arm, and they picked up the pace as rocks began to tumble down faster and faster.

Caz stopped firing at the Geonosians, shifting his position and climbing up the wall, easily catching up with the group. He used his wan-shen as a climbing device, jabbing it into the walls and pulling himself up on it. The zombies began to climb up as they realized the onslaught of blaster bolts was far from over. However, the catacombs collapsed before too many could get into the shaft, but the resulting wind from the collapse sent the survivors flying out of the skylight and into the air.

The stone trapdoor over the skylight was blown off its hinges by the strength of the wind, before hitting the ground with a loud  _ thang _ , followed by everyone else. Anakin, Obi-Wan and Luminara landed on their feet, with Caz and the clones falling into a series of rolls before popping up into a standing position.

There were two Geonosian zombies that managed to survive the fall, but they were quickly cut down by Obi-Wan and Luminara, who were clearly done with the catacombs and everything inside it.

The temple around them began to rumble and break apart, not giving anyone time to breathe as they took a dive out of the collapsing temple. Poggle didn’t even try to stall and wait for reinforcements--he was too busy preserving his own life.

They outran the ring of smoke that was expelled from the temple, ducking and weaving past stony debris and Geonosian limbs. Anakin skidded to a stop, grabbing Poggle as he tried to make a break for it, and tossing him back onto the ground. The Separatist let out a clicking hiss of anger as everyone else took a moment to breathe. Caz ruffled his hair, getting the sand out of it before running and shaking around, lumps of sand falling out of his robes.

Anakin began to do the same, rattling his arm and brushing the sand off his robes and out of his boots. Luminara rubbed her wrists, trying to get blood flow back to them, and Obi-Wan rubbed his head, which was forming a bruise from the rock he’d been hit with.

“All things considered,” Anakin said as everyone recovered from the high-stress situation, “that went better than I expected.”

Luminara shot him a confused look, and Caz looked up from his pants, which he had pulled out of his boots to allow sand to fall out. He didn’t look too happy. “Did it really?”

“Yeah, it did,” Cody said, taking off his helmet and looking at Caz. “I know you’re new to this war, so let me tell you something, kid…” Caz looked at him and Cody’s expression turned grave. “There’s never a mission with no casualties. You just have to make sure their deaths weren’t in vain.”

Caz pressed his lips together, before turning to Luminara. “Are you alright?”

“Yes, I’m fine,” Luminara murmured, and Caz nodded. 

“So...we rescued you,” Caz said, looking back at Cody for advice. “And their lives weren’t lost in vain?”

“Not this time,” Cody said, walking over and holding out a hand. 

“Not this time,” Caz echoed, shaking the clone’s hand with an uneasy expression. After a moment of silence, Caz pulled something out of his pocket--a drawstring pouch. He then turned to Obi-Wan, dropping it in the man’s hand. 

Obi-Wan opened it, and two brain worms greeted them, one of them writhing around weakly. His eyes lit up like strobe lights. “One of these is alive. Good man, Caz.”

“It is?” Anakin asked, worried as he turned to Caz. “You don’t have a worm in your head, do you?”

Caz let out an uneasy laugh, rubbing his ear. “I think I’d remember.” He paused and turned to Obi-Wan, who had handed the drawstring bag to a clone medic, who was preserving the living worm in a miniature bacta tank. “Did you guys manage to get anywhere with that comlink I grabbed on Mustafar?”

“No, unfortunately not,” Obi-Wan said, fixing his hair. “As soon as one of our analysis droids tried to access the communication records, the comm initiated a self-destruct sequence and blew itself up.”  
“Is everyone alright?” Caz asked, eyeing the worm worriedly.

“It was just a few droids,” Obi-Wan reassured Caz, who nodded slowly.

“Right, right,” Caz said, turning back to the Jedi Master. “Well, uh, make sure that parasite doesn’t blow itself up.” He then glanced over a Luminara, before jogging towards her as Obi-Wan said something about the research being valuable. “Hey, I’m Caz,” he said, holding out his hand with a friendly smile.

Luminara allowed herself to grin a bit, and shook his hand. “Luminara Unduli. Thank you for your service to the Republic, but dare I ask why you came to save me?”

Caz bit his lip, his cheeks turning a little pink as he covered the lower half of his face with his hand. “Well, I thought you guys needed help.” He scanned the Geonosian landscape, as if it proved his point somehow. “And you guys did...need help, that is.” He glanced back up at Luminara, his green eyes a little worried as they looked into her sapphire ones. “I was helpful, right? Helpful enough to  _ not _ mention how I got your location?” Anakin walked over, and Caz’s neck popped with how fast he turned to Skywalker. “Hey, Anakin...next time, can you send a letter or something? I wasn’t sure what to think.”

“You could think that we have a war going on,” Anakin replied, and Caz looked down at the ground. “I did say you’d be the seventh person we call...and we just didn’t get around to the other six. Nothing personal, you know.”  
“Nah, I understand,” Caz said as he scratched the back of his neck, looking down to his comlink and activating the tracker to his ship. “Well, I think that’s it for me. I’m pretty tired of this planet, you know? Not one of my favorites.” He began to walk in the direction that his tracker was pointing, before turning back to Anakin and giving him a wave. “Nice working with you. I await your call.”

Anakin watched as the man turned on his heel, sand kicking up at the movement as he began to walk away. Caz had been pretty helpful, to be fair. He hadn’t done anything too stupid--other than hacking the frequency--and to be fair, the mission wasn’t finished.

“See it through, Caz,” Anakin called out, and the Matukai turned again. “Come back, see the mission through. Poggle’s still got to stand trial on Coruscant.” Caz rocketed towards Anakin with the speed of a military-grade nuke, suddenly standing in front of him. “Plus,” Anakin’s voice dropped to a whisper. “I kind of want to see the look on Windu’s face when  _ you _ bring in Poggle.”

“I...well,” Caz looked over at Obi-Wan, and then back at Anakin. “I don’t want to be breaking any of the rules...again.” He paused, a smile creeping onto his face. “Do you think Windu will like me more if I bring Poggle in?”

Anakin knew it probably wouldn’t change a thing--he’d long since given up on trying to get Windu’s approval. But seeing the hopeful smile on the man’s face, and knowing that he just wanted to prove himself, Anakin couldn’t just tell him  _ no _ .

“Most definitely,” Anakin said, and Caz’s face split into a full-on grin. Caz took a half-step forwards, and Anakin found himself in a hug. After taking a moment to process it, Anakin patted Caz on the back awkwardly. 

Caz dropped his arms, and then turned ghostly pale. “Oh, I’m sorry. I--I wasn’t thinking.” He stepped back five paces, and Anakin raised an eyebrow. “Personal space, right? Kark, I’m sorry for invading it, my bad…” He looked away, and seemed to be scolding himself silently.

“No, it’s fine,” Anakin said, a little surprised at Caz’s reaction to hugging him. Caz continued to berate himself, tapping his foot in the sand, and Anakin spoke a little louder. “Caz.” The Matukai turned to him with a plastered-on smile, and Anakin shook his head. “You’re  _ fine _ . Don’ worry about it.”

“Don’t--” Caz’s smile suddenly became genuine, and he stepped towards Anakin again. “I won’t worry about it, promise.” He then went silent again, before staring up at Anakin. “So...are Obi-Wan and the Chancellor alright with me...finishing the mission through?”

“Yeah, of course,” Anakin said, giving Caz a pat on the shoulder. “Trust me, Obi-Wan will be happy to let you see this through, now that you got him a little test subject. And the Chancellor? Absolutely. He’s a good man, Caz.”

“Yeah, he really seems like it,” Caz said earnestly, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his tunic. “What...what’re your thoughts on a long-term alliance? You know, so I don’t have to waste fuel all the time, you know. Bad for the environment.”

“Is that the only reason?” Anakin asked jokingly, and Caz flushed red. “I’ll definitely talk to them about it. I think they’re obligated to agree now that you saved one of their own.”

“Oh, that’s great,” Caz said, his voice trembling with excitement. “You mean I get to work with the Jedi?”

“That’s exactly what I mean,” Anakin said, and Caz’s eyes brightened even more as he began to bounce on the balls of his feet. “Come on, Caz. We’ve got a freighter to catch.”

* * *

He’d been traveling in circles for what seemed like days. The labyrinthian corridors of the temple turned minutes into hours, and he could’ve sworn that he had passed that stone bust at least  _ thirty  _ times.

The map he’d acquired from the street dealer was no good, a total waste of credits. He had tossed it aside a while ago, and somehow hadn’t seen it again. They had told him strange things would occur in the temple when he looked away, but he hadn’t listened. He was focused on finding what he had come here for--kark anything else in this goddamned Sith Temple that got in his way.

Of course, there was a small part of him that knew the search would be fruitless, that his brother wasn’t alive after all these years. He’d waited too long, but what else could he have done? After what had happened, even the Ryseshi guard hadn’t bothered to look for the children.

He hated them for it. Why didn’t they do their job? Why didn’t the  _ Jedi _ do their job? 

“Kark!” The man roared, throwing a punch at the Sith stone bust that he’d been standing in front of for the past few minutes. His voice echoed in the halls, and the man slapped himself across the face. They had warned him that the Temple would make him feel things--anger, hatred, spite over the smallest of things.

He had promised them he’d return. He promised them that he would come back to them, that he would pay back their help. And he had made a silent promise to his brother that he would avenge him, him and all the others who were brought to this hellish place.

Suddenly, the Sith bust began to rotate to the side, grating and scraping against it’s gilded pedestal. The man watched in shock and awe as a door revealed itself to him. He let out a shaky breath, hand moving for the pendant around his neck. 

As his hand moved over the golden coin attached to the chain, the man remembered the things of the past. His little brother and nineteen other children, good one day and gone the next. The adults had suspected that one of the children had convinced the others to come with him to visit the Sith Temple. The son of the smuggler. 

But that boy wasn’t the only one to blame. The man knew it was his fault, too. But...no...it was all that boy’s fault. That son of the smuggler, that  _ bastard. _ He should’ve known that his brother would lie about it. 

Something inside him knew that he should’ve investigated this earlier,  _ ten years _ earlier. But with everything else that had happened...maybe now was the best time to get a sense of closure.

That same desire for closure was keeping him from opening the engraved doors in front of him. If he walked in there, and he found proof of his brother’s death, he wouldn’t be able to live with himself. He had just learned to cope with what happened to his parents, with Xyrias, with his recent alliances...he didn’t want to pile one more thing on.

But he  _ needed _ to know what happened. It wasn’t out of the question for his brother to be dead, but...he wouldn’t believe it until he saw it.

So he was going to see it.

Not giving himself any more time to overthink, he pushed open the gilded doors, an ice-cold updraft pouring out of the room and chilling him to the bone. As he strode into the room, hands wrapped around his arms for warmth, he glanced up at the ceiling. The sight that greeted him made his hands fly to his mouth, but it couldn’t stop him from vomiting.

Once he was done, he looked up again, ghostly pale and shaking. Bodies loomed over his head, hung by thick, rusted chains. Their clothing was tattered and singed, and whatever skin that was left was rotting and decrepit. Their jaws hung open in horror, blood dried on the clothes and the floor. The room had the acrid smell of death, and the man pulled his tunic up over his mouth to stop from inhaling it.

“Oh, Caraya,” he whispered hoarsely, stumbling down the stone-carved staircase, neck strained as he stared up at the ceiling, eyes darting from corpse to corpse, desperate to find--or not find--what he was looking for. “Lio…” His breathing got heavier as he stumbled across the floor, Sith statues leering at him from either side of the chamber. “Lio…”

The bodies had been dead for years. The man tore his eyes away from the ceiling, an ice-cold wind blowing through the chamber. The corpses swayed, chains clinking, and the man had a sinking feeling that the Sith spirits were mocking him.

His eyes drifted towards the floor, where something glinted a few feet away from him. Still clutching his pendant, he made his way over, making sure that his hair obscured his vision of the horrors above. 

He got down on his knees, hand carefully picking up the object on the floor. His eyes scanned it, and he let out a shaky exhale. He lifted up his pendant, and touched it’s gemstone to the golden inset of the second pendant. They pulled together with a soft click, and he let out a horrified whimper.

“No…”

* * *

_ “Jela! Jela!” _

_ The man hastily flicked off his comlink, doing a one-eighty as he turned to face his younger brother, who flew into the doorway with the power and energy of a hurricane. The man’s hand scrabbled for his comlink, stuffing it into a drawer and slamming it shut. _

_ “Hey, Lio,” he said, forcing the shakiness out of his voice as his heart began to pound. “What’re you doing home early?” _

_ “You don’t remember?” Lio asked, suddenly looking rather disappointed. “Miss Zur’aya let the whole class out early today so we could celebrate Kidasviar!” He threw his hands in the air, as if there were bits of confetti raining from the sky. “We’re all gonna go explore the forest tonight to see if we can find the treasure!” _

_ “There’s no treas--” The man was cut off as his mother walked into the room. _

_ “Are you going with that smuggler’s son?” She asked sharply, and Lio’s posture straightened immediately. He shook his head stiffly, and his mother nodded. “Good. I’m more than tired of that boy’s antics.” _

_ Lio nodded eagerly, before turning back to his brother. “You promised you’d chaperone...you’re not even wearing a cool mask! We’re gonna be late, Jay!” _

_ “I…” the man glanced down at his desk drawer, before wincing. “Lio, I’m so sorry. I have work today.” _

_ “That’s...that’s not what you said yesterday,” Lio said, beginning to fidget with his hands. “You said you’d be able to chaperone.” _

_ “Something came up, Lio,” the man murmured, guilt pooling in his stomach. “You know that Mom’s tight on credits right now. She...I need to help her.” _

_ “Alright,” Lio murmured. The man lowered his head in apology, and when he looked up again, Lio was launching himself into his brother’s arms. “Don’t die.” _

_ “Generally, people don’t die in my line of work,” the man said, lying through his teeth as he gave his brother a tight hug. “But for you? I’ll try extra hard, little guy.” He paused, and then pulled a bright orange jacket off of his desk chair, keeping one arm around his brother as he shoved the hood into Lio’s hands. “There. Everyone’ll be able to see you in that.” _

_ “Thank you,” Lio said, his tone genuine as always. He’d always been so serious when it came to gratitude. _

_ Lio wriggled out of the hug, and rocketed out of the room, making sure to close the sliding door behind him. A muffled ‘buh-bye’ echoed through the door, one that the man returned in favor, before sitting down at his desk and letting out a weary sigh. _

_ That was the last time Lio was ever seen alive. _

* * *

Once again, his eyes turned to the ceiling, eyes watering and threatening to flow over. He got to his feet, ankle twisting into a hole. The pain went entirely unnoticed, his entire body numb, mind filling with memories of his brother that he had tried so hard to repress.

The corpse above the pendant was wearing a bloodstained orange jacket.

The man’s hand clenched over Lio’s pendant, and his mouth opened to let out a horrified scream. It was guttural and mournful, ricocheting across and around the chamber. The dark side cackled with glee at the man’s pain.

He had been told what to expect. He had been bracing for this. But it hadn’t been enough. Just the fact that Lio had been strung up with all these other children, beaten and bloodied and broken, was enough to shatter the man’s remaining resolve.

Anger bubbled up in his stomach, and his fist clenched tighter around Lio’s pendant, the sharp edge of the metal drawing blood on his palm. He turned away from the corpses and towards the far end of the room, where a single chain noose hung above a blackened throne.

With a deadly calm, the man strode up to the throne, eyes never leaving the rusted noose. It had been separated from the others, and the man didn’t care to understand why. But as he stepped up onto the throne and looked out across the floating sea of corpses. For the first time in a while, the logical side of his brain prevailed.

He began to count the nooses by their hooks on the ceiling, counting the one dangling right over his head. His grey eyes darkened with every one he was forced to look at, every inch of himself devoted to not following the chainlinks down to snapped necks and distorted heads.

At the end, he had counted twenty nooses--one for each of the children.

But the one above his head was empty. He looked up at it and reached for it, tugging down slightly. There was an unearthly screeching noise as he held the noose down, and the floor shifted open, revealing a pit full of curling and contorting bones that had to be from some sort of snake. Simultaneous to the floor opening, platform tiles raised to hold the corpses afloat.

And so the mechanic’s mind takes over. Whoever was placed in this noose was meant to trigger the drop. If the center noose continued to hold weight, the other children would’ve lived. But whoever this child was took the chance to escape...and they ran.

The man’s hand tightened on the noose, his teeth grinding. The trap was cruel, devious, and fitting for what he knew of the Sith. The child in this noose had been unbelievably selfish, sacrificing all other lives for their own. 

With a snap, he let go of the noose, and the corpses plummeted again, floor sealing up and ties floating downwards.

There was no doubt about who the child on the throne had to have been.

The son of the smuggler.

In the shadows of the Sith Temple, a man’s jaw set in determination.

And far, far away, within the deepest, darkest folds of the Force, something awoke.


	4. Brain Invaders

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jedi Master rescued! After a daring mission that delved into the Geonosian catacombs, the Jedi and Caz Solus emerge successful, only to be launched into another problem! Caz, Barriss and Ahsoka are assigned to take a medical frigate to the war-ridden planet of Dantooine. However, they might be taking more than supplies with them...

**_ “You didn’t come this far just to come this far.” _ **

* * *

**“There has been a complication.”**

Caz looked up at Ki-Adi-Mundi from his place beside Anakin, eyebrows raised in evident concern. It hadn’t been twenty minutes since the catacombs had blown their top, and they were already in trouble again. Then again, they were in a war. Caz supposed that unending chaos did fit his expectations.

However, Caz was a little less concerned about the current situation, and was more worried about what would happen when he arrived on Coruscant. Anakin seemed to have forgotten that Caz had committed a semi-damning crime about four hours ago, and even though Skywalker had reassured him against his arrest, Caz’s stomach was still churning. He could only hope that Poggle’s trial didn’t turn into his own. The last thing he had intended to do was go against the Jedi or the Republic. Surely they’d understand that.

Surely, the Chancellor would understand.

He dug his synthleather boot into the hot, red-orange sands of Geonosis, glancing up at the sickly yellow skies. He didn’t really regret not taking his chance to leave and head back to Biredai. Of course, he would’ve been safer, physically and...legally, but he had a feeling that if he left without explaining himself, he’d never get another opportunity to work with the Jedi.

Hopefully his brief study of Republic law would serve him well. He hadn’t had a lot of time to spare once he got back to Biredai, but he took Jaena’s advice to study it anyway. As Caz breathed in the smoke-tainted air of Geonosis, he suddenly wished he had paid more attention in politics class. He hardly understood what he read. Hopefully the Jedi Council liked him enough to pardon this. 

Mace Windu would probably be the largest issue, Caz thought to himself, running a hand through his hair. Caz still hadn’t figured out why Windu had such animosity towards him, and he wasn’t sure if he ever would.

He turned to his right to see Ahsoka Tano and Barriss Offee appearing on the other side of him. Ahsoka gave him a smile and wave, and Barriss dipped her head politely. Caz and Barriss had never met, but Luminara told the Matukai about her Padawan on the way back to the ship. Her polite gesture held up to Unduli’s description.

“Don’t we always?” Anakin asked, snapping Caz back to the situation at had.  _ Trouble, right. _ Anakin wore a lopsided smile as Mundi glided down the ship’s ram, Poggle snarling at him as he was escorted up it.

“I’ve just received a distress signal from our forces on Dantooine,” Mundi explained, giving Caz a perplexed look before moving on. Caz could feel his face heating up, and kept his eyes on the ship behind the Cerean Jedi Master. “Master Windu’s defenses held, but at a great cost to his men.” Caz’s eyes snapped down to the Jedi, concern in his expression. “They need medical supplies immediately.”

Cogs began to turn in the Matukai’s head, running fast on worry and slight stress. After hardly a second of silence within the group, Caz spoke up. “I’ll deliver the supplies.”

“Hold your hawk-bats, Caz,” Anakin said, before glancing back at Mundi. “What’s the pickup location?”

“Ord Cestus,” Mundi said, and Anakin frowned in disapproval. Caz raised an eyebrow, knowing that those two planets were pretty far apart.

“Well, I suppose it would make sense to make a separate mission for it, then,” Anakin said, giving Caz a knowing look. “Since Ord Cestus isn’t exactly on the way to Coruscant.”

“Poggle’s debriefing must happen as soon as possible, as well,” Luminara said, rubbing her forehead to wipe off some mud from the catacombs. “The longer we wait, the more his hackles will raise and the less valuable intel we’ll acquire from him.”

Caz was silent, letting the Jedi figure it out. He already knew Anakin would vouch for him on the matter. They were on the same train of thought, as well--that Windu would be a little more open to Caz’s alliance with the Republic if he brought medical aid to him.

“Caz should go,” Kenobi said, and Caz turned to him in surprise. The Jedi Master gave Caz a reproachful look, though it was a lot less full of suspicion than it was down in the catacombs. “I highly doubt he has the skill to interrogate such a stubborn individual as Poggle.”

Caz opened his mouth to retort, but Kenobi gave Caz a reassuring smile, and Caz realized it wasn’t about his skills at all. It was about Caz’s first experience with Jedi interrogation--one that ended with the prisoner writhing in pain. Of course, Caz understood that the stakes were high, but Obi-Wan might’ve thought it had disillusioned him.

The Jedi were only doing what they had to do.

“I suggest the Padawans go with him,” Anakin said with a knowing grin, putting one hand on Ahsoka and Barriss’ shoulders. “Could be a good learning experience for all of them, don’t you think, Master?”

“Whatever needs to be done, Master,” Ahsoka said politely, giving Caz another nod of acknowledgement. “I’m happy to help.”

“As am I,” Barriss said obediently, lacing her fingers in front of her and dipping her head to Anakin.

“Very well,” Obi-Wan replied, stroking his beard in thought as he looked up at the sky. “Take a medical frigate...I’ll have the Tango Company assist you. Once we’ve delivered Poggle to Coruscant, we’ll rendezvous with you for the journey to Dantooine.”  
“Sounds good,” Caz murmured, brushing some sand off his robes and keeping his eyes on the ground. Dust whirled up in plumes all around him, the hot and arid desert wind forcing his eyes shut as his hair flew into his face. He let out a genuine laugh, looking up a surprised Anakin. “I’m glad you’re not arresting me.”

“Arresting you?” Ahsoka asked with a perplexed expression. Anakin glanced at Caz, before turning to Ahsoka and shaking his head. “Well, now I’m curious.”

“I’ll tell you on the ship,” Caz said, visoring his head with his hand as he glanced around to look for the medical frigate. He saw it in the distance, along with several troopers walking up to it. His eyes lit up, and he began to jog over there. “Gotta meet those guys…”

Their armor was painted blue-grey over standard white, and they carried their helmets under their arms, walking in pairs up to the ship, pace in time and posture ruler-straight. They were soldiers, and they knew it.

One of them walked with a slight hunch and wobble, and Caz took that into account as he skidded to a stop in front of the troopers. He examined their identical faces as they stopped, looking at him skeptically. They didn’t move for their weapons, but their postures hardly relaxed.

Though their jawlines, noses, face shapes and builds were all the same, there were obvious variations that could be used to differentiate the clones--tattoos, hair colors, eye colors, scars, and the like.

“You guys really do all have the same face,” Caz said in shock, hardly paying attention to what he was saying. After a second, he let out a sharp inhale and shook his head. “I’m sorry.” His face turned a little pink as he looked at the clones apologetically. “That was a little insensitive.”

“You mocking us or something?” One of the clones barked, and Caz’s face got darker at the implication. 

“Ox, cool your jets,” the clone in the front said, blue eyes glinting as he scolded his subordinate. He then turned back to Caz, who was still watching them awkwardly. “But, uh, who are you?”

“I’m Caz,” Caz said, holding out a hand for the clone to shake. “I’m going to be assisting you guys on this...whatever Ki-Adi-Mundi called it...a supply run?”

“That was our assignment,” Ox said, still somewhat irritated. “You a Jedi or something? I’ve never seen a Jedi with green robes.”

“God, I wish,” Caz said honestly, scratching the back of his head. “I’m a Matukai. You know...whirly blade, green robes?”

“Never heard of ‘em,'' another clone said, stroking his goatee in thought. “But I’ll believe you. Never seen someone’s face get that red when they’re lyin’.” Caz’s face flushed even more, and he gladly took the distraction as he looked over at Barriss and Ahsoka, who were making their way over to them. 

“I’m not lying, I promise,” Caz said, keeping his eyes on the approaching Jedi Padawans as he fiddled with the hems of his robes. “And the robes...well…”

“It’s a fashion statement,” Ahsoka said humorously as she walked up the Matukai and clones. The soldiers saluted her, one slightly more delayed with obvious confusion. “Don’t worry about these guys, Caz. They’re just doing their job.”  
“Yeah, yeah,” Caz said, and he stopped fiddling immediately, glancing up at Ahsoka. “Who are they?”

“You can ask them,” Barriss said simply, and Caz nodded hastily, turning to the clones as his face began to return to its normal shade.

“The name’s Trap,” the blue-eyed clone said, giving Caz a curt nod. 

“Edge,” the blond clone said, raising an eyebrow at Caz. “I’m a fan of that hip guard, by the way.” Caz instinctively smiled at the compliment, his hand going to the small band of steel that protected the left side of his waist.

As the Matukai mouthed his thanks, the next clone introduced himself, running his hand through his slicked-back hair. “I’m Ox, but you already know that.”

“Havoc,” the clone with the goatee said, giving Caz a quick wave. Caz gave him a nervous smile. 

“I’m Pulsar, and this is Scythe,” Pulsar said, wrapping a friendly arm around the hunched-over Scythe. “He’s a little tired today...clearly  _ someone  _ didn’t stick to their sleep schedule.” Scythe nodded robotically, and Caz offered a friendly laugh.

“Good to meet you guys,” Caz said, letting the nervousness in his stomach slip away. These guys were on his side. They weren’t gonna attack him. “So...if you guys are all clones...who’s the original guy?”

“That may be a tale for another time,” Barriss said calmly, and Caz nodded without hesitation. “Tango Company, let’s move out.”

* * *

Apparently, Scythe wasn’t the only one who was bad at regulating when one sleeps. Ahsoka had been lying in bed for hours now, and the need to sleep hadn’t once crossed her mind. She was far too busy reeling from the battle of Geonosis. So many things had happened, so many men had died, and the dead silence of space did nothing to distract her from it.

As she shifted onto her side, she forced her thoughts away from the horrific Geonosis, and towards the less gory and painful topic of Caz Solus, the Matukai. In the weeks that he’d been gone, she’d pored through the archives for information on his Order. Anakin had teased her for admiring him, but she knew that wasn’t the case.

All she’d ever known was the Jedi, and more recently, the war. It was refreshing to learn about something other than that. Even if the information was scarce, Ahsoka was proud to say that she knew enough about the Matukai Order to speak with Caz on it without feeling left behind.

The information on the Matukai and other Force Orders was so few and far between it was almost strange. Even Yoda didn’t seem to have a lot of information on them, stating that most Force Orders had decided not to affiliate themselves with the Jedi due to the attention of the Sith that it would draw. 

Ahsoka didn’t see the issue. If there were more Lightsiders to fight the Sith, they could finally eliminate the order for good. But there was a feeling in her gut that told her there was something else that was going on, something more personal between the Orders. She had brought it up with Yoda shortly after she pondered on it, and he had told her that it was too long ago to speak on, too old a tale to carry a grudge for.

Fortunately, Caz didn’t bear any ill will to the Jedi, though Ahsoka could tell that some of the Jedi didn’t feel the same. Mace Windu in particular. It wasn’t her place to call him out on it, but it was almost  _ bitter _ , the way Windu treated Caz. 

She couldn’t fathom why. The same guy Windu scolded at every turn offered to sleep in the unconditioned cockpit of the ship so Ahsoka and Barriss wouldn’t be uncomfortable. Even though there were two extra bunks in the room Ahsoka and Barriss were lying in, Caz understood that it would be strange if he slept there with them. He almost went off on a tangent about how the Matukai and their sleeping schedules, but Barriss ushered him out of the room before he could get too into it.

Barriss didn’t seem to have any trouble sleeping. Ahsoka had to envy the senior Padawan for her constant peace and tranquility. While Ahsoka’s own master was the antithesis of tranquility, the Togruta still wished that he would teach her how to sleep when there wasn’t so much chaos around her. The silence was more overwhelming than any rattling gunfire.

As Ahsoka continued to thrash in her bedsheets, she took a moment to rest on her side and gaze at the Mirialan in the bunk beside hers. She was lying supine in her bed, hands laced over her stomach in the epitome of cool-headedness. Even when Barriss slept, she was the ideal Jedi.

And when she slept, she was a particularly light sleeper. She turned her head to Ahsoka, her dark blue eyes opening and looking at the younger Jedi. “What is it, Ahsoka?” Her tone wasn’t annoyed, simply soft and inquisitive.

Ahsoka managed to elicit a small groan as she tossed over in her bed, rubbing her temples in exhaustion. “It’s too quiet. It’s a big change from the fighting these days.”  _ And Force knows I need the sleep, too. _

“You should appreciate the peace while it lasts,” Barriss murmured, her eyes meeting Ahsoka’s once more. Ahsoka could feel Barriss’ Force presence checking on Ahsoka, making sure there wasn’t some underlying reason for her sleepless nights.

“I can’t,” Ahsoka said, clearly frustrated at herself. She sat up and swung her legs over the end of the bed. “Let’s go eat.”

Barriss nodded slowly as she got out of her bed, folding the thin cotton blanket neatly and setting it at the corner of her thin mattress. Ahsoka would continue to be impressed at Barriss' mindset and handling of the war. She thought back on Anakin’s unorthodox teachings, and came to the conclusion that she wouldn’t be doing half as well if she’d gotten any other Jedi as her master. She and Anakin worked together too well together.

“Should we bring Matukai Solus?” Barriss inquired as she clipped her lightsaber to her belt after picking it up from the head of her bed. 

“Yeah, let’s go get him,” Ahsoka said as she snapped her own saber onto her hip, opening the door and walking out into the white-walled industrial hallway. After she and Barriss exited the quarters, the metal door slid shut behind them with a hiss.

The two Jedi Padawans made their way down to the cockpit, passing through multiple identical passageways of the ship. Clones were maintaining the engine rooms, the kitchens, even the restrooms all throughout the night. 

“What’s your favorite food?” Ahsoka asked, in a subtle attempt to make some small talk. Barriss smiled softly--her fellow Padawan really  _ couldn’t _ handle the silence all that well.

Barriss tilted her head as she thought about it. She’d never really had a  _ favorite _ food, only ones that she could eat and the ones that Mirialans couldn’t process without some sort of illness. “I’m partial to meiloorun melons. You can’t find them on Coruscant, but they’re amazing if you can find a ripe one on a tropical planet.” She then turned to the Padawan, who was listening with rapt attention. “And you, Ahsoka?”

Ahsoka shrugged nonchalantly as she placed her hand on the bridge scanner. “I like waffles. You know, the little triangle ones that they serve in the bags?” Barriss nodded as the door opened in front of them. “Those are good.”

“Never had those,” Barriss murmured as she glanced into the cockpit, hearing soft music echoing around the room. “Remind me to try them at the mess hall when we get there. Caz, care to join us?”

There was a banging noise, and the Matukai seemed to sprout from beneath the bridge control panels. He held a small holo in his hand, which was portraying a small movie of two people dueling together. For a moment, Barriss thought it was a Jedi lessons video, before realizing it was simply a holodrama.

“Hey,” Caz said as he stuffed the holo in his pocket. “Can’t sleep?”

“One of us,” Ahsoka admitted, rubbing her montral in sheepish guilt. “Doesn’t look like you can, either.”

Caz shook his head, and Ahsoka had known the man for long enough to know that if his face wasn’t covered in shadow, it would be slightly pink from what she said. Not even a remote insult, but he seemed so nervous around the Jedi. She had a feeling that they had similar reasons--just wanting to prove themselves to the people they admired and respected.

“Well, uh,” Caz scratched the back of his head. “Yeah…”

“Don’t feel bad,” Barriss said earnestly. “I’m sure experiencing the war for the first time is more than enough to warrant some sleepless nights.”

“I hope so,” Caz said in hesitant agreement. He paused, and then realized what they were here for. “Are you guys heading to get food?”

“Just from the mess hall,” Ahsoka said, jerking her thumb behind her. “Would you like to come with?”

“I’d love to,” Caz said honestly, and the three of them walked out of the bridge, leaving Caz’s backpack and wan-shen behind. After a moment of walking, Caz raised a question. “When were you guys brought into the Jedi Temple?”

Ahsoka raised an eyebrow at his question, but answered. “I think I was three years old.”

“I was far younger, maybe only an infant,” Barriss said honestly, crossing her arms in thought as the Padawans lead the way to the mess hall. “Why do you ask?”

“I…” Caz’s face turned a little red as he continued the question. “What’s the latest anyone’s ever been brought into the Temple?”

Barriss caught on to Caz’s question immediately--the man wanted to know if he could still learn the Jedi ways at his age. She felt bad, but she had also assumed that he had more knowledge on the restrictions of the Jedi Temple. Especially with his admiration for them, which wasn’t misplaced.

“It was my master, Anakin,” Ahsoka said, still somewhat clueless. “He was brought in when he was...nine?” Caz’s face fell immediately. “But the Council said he was a special case.”

Caz was visibly disappointed, and Barriss gave him a reassuring look. “I’m sure there are a few Jedi Masters who would teach you a few Jedi techniques, if you so wish. The knowledge of the Jedi is open to all users of the Light, as I’m sure you know.”

The Matukai’s face split into a grin, and he gained a pep in his step as they made their way over to the cafeteria. His face turned to one of confusion. “Well, now...wait.” His voice was softer now, was if he didn’t want to ask this. “I was told that the Jedi restricted their archives to only Jedi Masters.”

“Some of the knowledge in the archives is too dangerous in the hands of anyone but them,” Ahsoka said as the three of them entered the cafeteria. “It’s for the good of the galaxy that only the most reliable Jedi can access that kind of stuff.”  
“That would make sense,” Caz said, satisfied with the response. He glanced out across the cafeteria--a white-walled room with several identical steel tables and built-in benches. To his left was a buffet with food, and a clone trooper standing behind it, waiting expectantly. “Wow...that’s a lot of food.”

“Not as much as you’d think,” Ahsoka added on as she took a tray from the stack and began to move down the line, picking up some tofu, rice, and broccoli. “Most of this stuff his rehydrated war rations, though I’d recommend the tofu--almost tastes real.”

Caz grabbed a bottle of water as Barriss picked up some broccoli, rice, and chicken breast. “I don’t mind,” he said easily, copying Ahsoka’s meal down to the number of tofu chunks. “But uh...do they taste as bad as everyone says they do?”

“It all depends on what you’ve had in the past,” Barriss murmured. “The clones think it’s very good, but to be fair, they hardly eat anything else. Most war refugees say it takes time to adjust to it, so I figure you won’t like it all that much.”

“I’m not a war refugee,” Caz said honestly, and Barriss let out a chortle at his honesty. The three of them sat down at the table, and Caz dug into his food with no hesitation. He forked at the tofu and scooped up some rice, eating it with a modicum of manners and then going in for another bite. It was evident that he was pretty hungry.

“Thoughts?” Ahsoka said, and Caz abruptly stopped eating, glancing towards the door before turning back to Ahsoka.

It’s not half bad,” Caz said, swiping a grain of rice off of his cheek. “A little bitter at the end.”

“That’s the factory,” Ahsoka joked as she took a bite of her broccoli. “The rations are meant to fill you up, but their taste isn’t all that good.”

“Speaking of factories,” Caz said as he poked at his broccoli. “Anakin told me that you two…” He trailed off, swirling his force at Ahsoka as he waited for her to finish it up. When she didn’t, he continued on. “You know...kind of got stuck under one?”

“Oh,” Ahsoka said, catching his drift. “Yeah, that did happen.”

“It’s good to see you alive, then,” Caz said, the broccoli side of his tray magically cleaning itself off. “Getting stuffed under a building is never fun, so I hear.” 

Ahsoka let out a laugh, before setting down her fork and turning to Barriss. “There was something you said earlier, and it’s nagging at me now.” Caz looked between the two Padawans from his spot beside Barriss. He opened his mouth to ask about the situation, before shutting it. “About enjoying the peace while it lasts.” She took a tentative bite of her tofu, the situation getting a little more serious. “As a Jedi, I’m not sure I know how to do that.”

Caz frowned at that, but continued to eat his meal in silence. He shifted in his seat again as Barriss nodded towards Ahsoka, thinking of her predicament. “Master Windu has said we are keepers of the peace,” she explained, “not warriors. However, once the war is over, it will be our job to maintain peace.”

“Yes, but will we do so as keepers of the peace or as warriors?” Ahsoka asked, and Caz began to fiddle with his robes again. “And what’s the difference?”

Caz kept his eyes on his tray as he thought about Ahsoka’s question. It wasn’t his place to answer, but he was puzzled by the difference as well. Were the Jedi not warriors, fighting for the good of the galaxy and keeping the peace by righteous battles? How would one stamp out violence without more violence? Diplomacy only goes so far.

“I don’t have all the answers, Ahsoka,” Barriss admitted, and Caz seemed to nod in agreement. “Like you, I am a learner. What does your master tell you?”

Caz’s head snapped up to Ahsoka, rather attentive. Ahsoka was silent as she played with her food, rolling a broccoli floret down and back over her tray. “Anakin? Uh, well...you might find his thoughts on the future a bit...radical.”

“How so?” Barriss asked right before Caz intended to. Anakin seemed like a good guy, too. What would be so radical about him that Ahsoka would feel hesitant speaking on it?

“Let’s just say my master will always do what needs to be done,” Ahsoka said in a verys serious tone, setting her fork down beside her half-eaten meal. Caz cleaned off his own meal, sliding it to the corner of the table before turning back to Ahsoka. “I’m not even sure how peacetime will agree with him.”

“I see,” Barriss said, forking some broccoli over to Ahsoka, as if silently telling her to eat her vegetables. “What about you, Caz?” The Matukai turned to Barriss, surprised that she had asked him. “What kind of hierarchy do the Matukai have? And...what’s your master like, if you have one?”

“Well, it’s pretty similar to the Jedi Order...but probably with different names,” Caz said as he looked up at the Jedi Padawans. “Most Matukai Adepts--a Matukai Jedi Knight--are allowed to take more than one student, but my master only took one.” Caz leaned back a little bit. “He was strict, but very forgiving. He taught me a lot and influenced who I am today.”

“What does he think of the war?” Ahsoka asked, offering up her broccoli to Caz, who gladly took a few. “And you being a part of it?”

Caz actually  _ paled _ at the mention of that, a stark contrast to him blushing in embarrassment. “Oh, uh...well...he doesn’t really...uh…” He stuffed some broccoli in his mouth to avoid answering the question. Ahsoka waited for him to chew, but Caz had no intentions of speaking, and she shrugged.

“If you don’t want to talk about it, there’s no pressure,” Barriss said. “But I do have to ask...what age did you become a Matukai?”

Caz began to chew, swallowing and turning to Barriss. “I was brought to the Temple when I was seven, but a few others came in when they were older.” Caz speared another broccoli floret with his plastic knife. “There’s not much of an age restriction with the Matukai, I’d say. A few of the initiates were brought in by their parents, and a few of them came in when they were my age.”

Ahsoka’s eyes widened at that. “Well...how do the Matukai teach individuals when they’re in a rebellious stage?”

Caz let out a laugh. “Well...to be fair, there’s not a lot of Matukai. So every master can devote time to his apprentice or apprentices without worrying. Not to mention that they consider the Matukai Code and ideals to be less stringent than the Jedi, so people of all ages can understand it and live under it. That being said, I personally think the Jedi Code is a-okay becau--”

The Matukai was cut off as the door hissed open behind them, revealing two clone troopers that Caz knew to be Ox and Edge. 

“Evening, Ox, Edge,” Ahsoka said, giving them a jaunty wave. “Would you like to join us?”

“The tofu and rice is pretty good,” Caz said, pointing his fork at the two clone troopers. “You should try some, if you haven’t already!” The clones were dead silent, and Caz’s face fell. “Or you can get whatever you want...I won’t tell you what to do.”

“Everything alright, troopers?” Barriss asked, and Caz looked at the clones with a little bit of concern.

In the blink of an eye, the clones had drawn their blasters, pointing them at the Jedi and Matukai. Caz’s hands went into the air, and he got to his feet. Barriss and Ahsoka gave him bewildered looks, and Caz looked very sheepish. “I think they’re arresting me for what I did down in the catacombs.” He turned back to the clones just in time to feel the heat of a blaster bolt whizzing past his head. 

“They’re not arresting you!” Ahsoka called back as the clones opened fire on the three teenagers. “They’re _attacking_ _us_!”

Ahsoka and Barriss flipped the lunch table on its side to create some makeshift cover, and their hands sprouted over the top of the table, Force-pulling Caz away from the clones and back behind the table. He slammed into the ground between the two Padawans, pale as a sheet.

“Why are they attacking us?” Caz asked, grabbing one of the discarded lunch trays and a plastic knife. “Is this one of your exercises?”

“Do you think so?” Barriss asked dryly as she and Ahsoka drew their lightsabers. “Do you have a weapon on you?”

Caz shook his head, shifting his grip on his plastic knife. “I think I can manage.”

“You’re aware you’re holding food utensils, right?” Ahsoka asked, deflecting a blaster away from the table. 

“And a tray,” Caz added, lifting up the tray.

“And a tray,” Ahsoka repeated.

Caz got up from the ground, leaping into the air and clearing the table with ease. He tossed the lunch tray at Edge like a discus, and it hit the soldier square in the head, sending him staggering backwards and into a wall. Ahsoka and Barriss exited the cover as well, knocking out the first clone and setting him up against the wall.

Caz was forced to bend over backwards in order to avoid more blaster bolts, before pulling himself into a handstand and kicking Ox in the face multiple times, jabbing his utensil into the barrel of the clone’s blaster.

Barriss Force-pushed the Ox into the wall, knocking him unconscious. Caz got back on two feet, looking frazzled at the experience. He ran his hands through his hair as he looked down at the clone, kicking the Ox’s rifle away from his limp form.

Ahsoka pulled Ox’s body next to Edge’s, continuing to give them a wary look. Caz looked down at them worriedly, before glancing up at Barriss. “So...the clones just do that, or…?”

“No,” Barriss said, her tone distressed. “I don’t know what they were thinking.”

The mess hall door hissed open again, and two more clone troopers walked in. Ahsoka and Barriss had their lightsabers at the mens’ throats within a second, and Caz eyed Edge’s blaster, which was in the corner where the clone had dropped it.

Trap and Havoc threw their hands in the air immediately, fear in their eyes as they looked at the Jedi Padawans with genuine confusion.

“What’re you doing?” Trap asked as Ahsoka glowered at him.

“Hey, let’s play nice,” Caz said, stepping forwards. Ahsoka pushed Caz backwards, and the Matukai looked back at her, somewhat hurt at the notion.

“What’re  _ you _ doing?” Ahsoka asked accusingly, pointing her blade at Trap’s neck. “Two clones just attacked us! What is going on?”

“Trap, do you know what happened to these troopers?” Barriss asked with a measure of calm. Caz stood behind the two Padawans, giving spare glances to Ox and Edge just in case they woke up and tried to shoot them again.

“Couldn’t tell you, Commander,” Trap said worriedly. Caz gave the clone a glance up and down. He wasn’t fidgeting, and he didn’t even glance at his men. He kept Barriss’ eye contact and his breathing was still measured as ever. _ He’s not lying. _ “I’m just as confused as y--”

“You are in charge of these men,” Barriss pressed again, her jaw set, her lightsaber getting dangerously close to Havoc’s neck in her urgency. “Did you order them do kill us?”

“No, sir,” Trap said without a moment of hesitation, and Caz made a second attempt to step forwards.

“He’s telling the truth,” Caz said, and Ahsoka looked up at him, somewhat irked that he wasn’t checking his facts. When she caught his gaze, she immediately lowered her saber. His expression was more serious than she’d seen on him, brows furrowed slightly and eyes on the clones.

“But if you didn’t tell them to kill us, then who did?” Ahsoka asked hesitantly, still holding her lightsaber up, though she had lowered it an inch or two.

“We don’t know,” Havoc said, also truthful. “We heard shots, and we came to help. Looks like...” He glanced down at his unconscious friends, noting the rise and fall of their chests. “Looks like you’ve got it handled, though.” Trap nodded in uneasy agreement, and Ahsoka narrowed her eyes at them.

“Why should we believe you?” Barriss asked, jutting out her jaw at them. Caz gave Trap and Havoc an apologetic glance and grimace. He made a wave towards the blasters on their backs, and they seemed to catch his drift.

“Look, no guns,” Trap said, and he and Havoc took their rifles off of their backs and tossed them in front of the Jedi, blasters skittering on the matte steel floor. Ahsoka and Barriss exchanged glances, before turning off their lightsabers and clipping them to their belts. “You’ve got to believe us, sir.” 

“These men wouldn’t just attack us without reason,” Barriss said logically, and Caz nodded. “Solus believed they were after him for something he’d done, but they also went after Ahsoka and I. So...what made them do it?”

“My master had a clone betray them once,” Ahsoka muttered, brows furrowed as she stroked her chin. “A traitor paid off by Ventress.” Caz gave her a confused look, one she didn’t meet. “Don’t ask, Caz.”

“It can’t be that simple,” Barriss said hesitantly, turning back to the clones with her nose scrunched in thought. “At least, it didn’t feel like that.”

“Is there a reason they weren’t speaking to us?” Caz asked, kneeling down and examining the expressions of the clones. Even after being knocked out, their expressions were neutral. There had been no emotion behind their attack. No thought. Almost like they had no idea what they were doing at all.

“Excuse me, Commander Offee,” Trap said, not daring to tap the Jedi on the shoulder lest she ignite her blade again. “We should make sure that we’re still in control of the bridge.”

The Mirialan opened comms with the bridge patrol--two clones should be up there making sure there’s no issues with the ship. “Bridge, this is Barriss. Respond.”

Dead silence was the only response they could give, and Caz got back on his feet.  _ My wan-shen’s up there...not good. _

“We need to get up there and find out what’s going on,” Ahsoka said anxiously, crossing her arms as she turned to the clone troopers.

“But these two will wake up any minute,” Barriss said, pointing at the two clones with a rather uncharacteristic amount of worry.

“Havoc can watch them until we check on the bridge,” Trap said, and Havoc saluted his commander. Caz felt his stomach flop over, his gut telling him that this was a bad idea. Leaving one trooper against two didn’t seem right.

“Okay, let’s go,” Ahsoka said, and Caz closed his mouth and grabbed Ox’s and Edge’s blaster rifles. He handed Ox’s--which had a plastic knife sticking out of it--to Havoc, and took Edge’s and slung it over his back. “Caz, do you know how to use that?”

“Not really,” Caz said truthfully. “But it’s better than nothing.”

“Good luck,” Havoc said as the Jedi, Caz and Trap left the mess hall.

They took off down the hallway at an urgent pace, and Caz managed to keep pace with Barriss, blaster rifle bumping against his back as he looked at her. “Barriss, I have a question.”

“Now is not the time, Caz,” Barriss murmured, but Caz didn’t let up this time.

“If not now, then when?” Caz asked, looking at her. “I have to ask you now.” They took a sharp right as they moved towards the bridge, having to span half of the ship in order to get there. “Barriss...why are you so stressed?”

Barriss looked back at him, her blue ones meeting his green, and she shook her head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Caz. I’m simply handling the situation as quickly and efficiently as possible.”

Caz turned away from Barriss, shaking his head. “No, that’s not it. The way you were accusing Trap and Havoc back then--”

“Mind you, two of Trap’s men nearly killed us,” Barriss murmured, and Trap pursed his lips behind her. “I think my reaction was proper for the situation. Caz, please focus on the situation at hand.”

Caz skidded to a stop, forcing the group to stop with him as well. Barriss looked at him with a neutral expression, and Caz’s eyebrows knitted in concern. “Barriss, I don’t understand why you can’t tell us what’s wrong.”

“Now’s just not the time, Caz,” Ahsoka said, and Caz turned to her, his expression not changing in the slightest. 

“I understand that you’re worried for me, Caz,” Barriss said coolly. “I appreciate it, even though it isn’t necessary. I know you’ve never been in a war before, but emotions have to wait until the battle is done. I apologize for the harshness, but if you don’t learn that, it’s going to get us killed. And if you haven’t noticed, we’re in a situation where it’s adequate to be a little ‘stressed.’”

Caz was taken aback at Barriss’ outburst. Even though her tone was even and well-paced, as if she were ordering food on a menu rather than lecturing on the dangers of war, there was still emotion behind her words. 

“Okay, you’re right,” Caz said, his face flushing again. “Not the time. Not the time.”

And with that, they set off again.

* * *

Barriss Offee knew Caz Solus wasn’t wrong about her stress. This entire situation, from the start, had given her a bad feeling. The horrors of Geonosis would most likely haunt her for the next few months, and this was another thing to process. Not to mention that Caz joining the group was jarring as well. He wasn’t a bad guy, Barriss just wasn’t used to such a change.

The Force was telling her that things were about to go very,  _ very _ wrong. Ahsoka didn’t seem to notice it, and Caz was too busy giving Barriss concerned glances to even bother sensing it. She appreciated the kindness, but she really couldn’t handle it right now.

A little meditation would make this all go away, she was sure of it.

As they approached the hallway leading up to the bridge, they were greeted by the sudden activation of scarlet ray-shields all the way down the passageway. Caz frowned at them as one activated centimeters away from his nose. 

“Someone doesn’t want us getting in there,” Ahsoka observed as she glanced through the way shields, trying to see the end of the hallway. “Looks like you might need to find out how to use that blaster, Caz.”

“Damn,” Caz said, somewhat disappointed as he pulled it off his back, examining it. “Trap, you mind giving me the rundown on this thing?” He handed the blaster to the clone, who examined it silently.

“While you’re doing that,” Barriss said as she knelt down in front of the door’s control panel, pulling the screen off of the wall to expose wires and bolts. “I’ll try to override the interior ray-shield systems, but I can’t guarantee anything.”

Trap took the blaster and aimed it at Barriss, and Caz gave him a perplexed look. “Maybe aim it somewhere el--” 

Trap’s finger went to the trigger, and Caz roundhoused the blaster out of his hands before he could pull it. The blaster flew into the ray shield, dissolving on impact. Caz looked at Trap in shock, only for the clone trooper to lunge towards him.

“Ahsoka!” Caz called out as he was tackled to the ground. Trap kept him pinned on the ground with almost inhuman strength, and Caz forced him to roll over, wrapping his arm around the clone's neck and grabbing his elbow, putting the clone in a sleeper hold.

Ahsoka and Barriss drew their lightsabers as Caz choked Trap into unconsciousness. The clone thrashed in his grip, managing to elbow Caz in the ribs, loosening the Matukai’s grip ever so slightly. It was enough for Trap, however, as he jumped from Caz’s grip and onto Barriss, pushing her to the ground.

_ Why is he fighting like an animal? _ Caz thought to himself, the thought going in one ear and out the other as Trap towered over Barriss, his jaw suddenly unhinging as he gripped Barriss by her shoulders, Caz rubbed his ribs, about to tackle Trap when  _ something _ came out of his mouth. Trap’s eyes rolled back into his head as a green-yellow worm writhed in front of Barriss face.

Barriss let out a short shriek of horror. “He’s infected!”

“That’s a--” Caz said with a sharp inhale as Ahsoka Force-pushed Trap away from Barriss. The worm had slithered onto Barriss’ face, and Caz let out a shaky breath.

“Get this thing off of me!” Barriss yelps, and Ahsoka neatly sliced the worm in half, almost singing Barriss’ face with her lightsaber. Caz jogged over to Trap, making sure he was unconscious. He placed two finger’s to the clone’s neck, and was relieved to hear a slow pulse. 

“What  _ is _ that?” Ahsoka asked as she stared down at the bisected worm. Caz turned back to the worm with a hesitant expression, suddenly smelling Geonosian catacombs as he looked at it.  _ Oh, man. _ Barriss wiped the slime off her face with her robes, before getting to her feet and dusting herself off.

“Looks like some kind of parasite,” Barriss said, immediately analyzing the situation again, her moment of stress dissipating like air into space. She glanced over at Caz, who was pale as the walls around him. “You know what it is, don’t you?”

“I hope not,” Caz said as he stepped towards the worm, before sitting down to get a better look at it. If it was possible, he got paler. “That’s not good.”

“Care to explain?” Ahsoka asked, raising an eyebrow.

“This…” Caz lifted up the lower half of the parasite, “is a Geonosian brain worm. They were in the catacombs when we rescued Luminara.” He lifted it up to his eye level. “Kenobi originally thought that these worms were controlled by the queen, but apparently they have their own...goals.”

“Mind control?” Ahsoka asked, and Caz nodded, dropping the worm and flicking it down the hallway. “Well...that explains a lot. Trap is my friend! He would never have tried to kill us. How did these things even get on the ship?”

“They must’ve infected the clones before we even boarded,” Barriss said warily. 

“We have to quarantine the ship,” Ahsoka said, and Caz pulled out his triangular comlink. “Good idea, Caz. Try to contact the Republic.” She paused as Caz entered in the frequency. “How do you even have the decryption codes?”

Caz flushed red, letting out a shaky breath. “It’s how I got on this mission in the first place...I might’ve had a friend of mine hack your frequency.”

“What?” Ahsoka said, her eyes wide and her tone baffled. “But our codes are some of the hardest to crack in the galaxy!”

“Not hard enough, apparently,” Barriss said, an inkling of humor showing through. 

Caz smacked his comlink again. “Not working. Let me enter the codes in again.”

“It might be that they’re jamming the signal from the bridge,” Barriss suggested, and Caz looked up as he realized that Barriss’ surmise was the more logical one. “I suppose that guides us to where we need to go next.”

“If we can get to the bridge, we can contact Master Kenobi or Master Fisto,” Ahsoka said, pinching her nose in exasperation at the situation. “We should get going.”

“One question, though,” Caz asked, raising a finger inquisitively. “Do I need to call the Jedi as Masters and Padawans as well, or is it just for the Jedi?”

“Your preference,” Ahsoka said as Caz nodded.

And with that, the three of them moved away from the dead worm and unconscious trooper in full sprint.

They didn’t make it all that far. Within thirty seconds of searching for an on-ship communications center, they skid to a stop in front of an open door that had various hissing noises emanating from it.

“That sound…” Barriss said as she leaned against the wall, peering around the corner to see what was making such a noise. Caz and Ahsoka were on the other side of the door frame, silent as stone.

“It’s Geonosian,” Ahsoka whispered, glancing back at Caz. The man’s expression was firm and his jaw was set. It was evident that he was pretty much finished playing around. Ahsoka looked away for a second, and saw Caz dashing into the room. “Caz!” She hissed. “No!”

He rolled behind one of the crates in the storage room, glancing back at them with a neutral expression. Ahsoka had a feeling he wasn’t red-faced this time. 

The three of them watched through a gap in the boxes, showing all the infected clone troopers surrounding Havoc, who was struggling as one of them tried to drop a brain worm into his mouth. Caz glanced back at Ahsoka, his green eyes flashing like mirrors.

“We have to save him,” Ahsoka whispered to Barriss, who shook her head.

“It’s too late,” Barriss said, pointing as they looked at Havoc, who was convulsing violently as the worm wriggled down his throat. After a moment of nothing but Havoc’s gagging and grunting, he relaxed in his comrades’ arms.

Caz began to wave his arms at Barriss and Ahsoka, pointing at something behind them. The Jedi Padawans turned on their heels just in time to duck beneath blaster fire from an infected clone. They drew their lightsabers, the distinguishable noise alerting every clone to their location. Ahsoka and Barriss slid into the storage room, and Caz chucked his comlink at the control panel, closing the door in front of the two Padawans.

He left his comlink discarded on the ground as he got out from his hiding spot to face the squadron of clones. They had their rifles on him, and he hardly had time to react before they fired. He dropped onto the ground, his stomach slamming against the ice-cold floors. Ahsoka and Barriss began to deflect the blaster bolts back at them.

Caz rolled over his shoulder onto his feet and quickly scaled the stacks of boxes all around the room. Getting the high ground, he looked down at the enemies, leaning to the side as a blaster bolt skimmed his face, leaving a singing mark. Caz touched his gloved hand to it, wincing. He noticed one of the clones making his way through the chaos, holding two Geonosian eggs in his hands. One for each Jedi Padawan.

Caz leapt down from his perch and planted his feet on the clone’s shoulders as he dropped down, sending the clone trooper into the ground, his pauldrons snapping and the eggs rolling out of his hands.

Ahsoka stomped on them, and all the infected clones let out shrieks of horror. The clone under Caz’s boot grabbed Caz’s leg and flipped him over. Caz managed to plant his hands on the ground, pushing back up to his feet and backpedaling away from the shrieking clones.

“That’s not good,” Caz stated as they raised their rifles again, faces contorted in rage.

“Clearly,” Barriss said coolly, Force-pulling some crates down from the towers around them to give them a moment of cover. The three of them immediately ducked behind one of the crates, catching their breath as the clones scrambled towards them. “Alright, as soon as there’s an opening, we head for the ventilation shaft up there.”

Caz followed her gaze towards the ceiling, where a tube ran across the entirety of the ceiling, with a grate peeking out from behind a couple boxes. “That one?”

“The only one,” Ahsoka said dryly, and Caz nodded.

“I’ll cover you,” Caz said, peeking out from over the boxes, a blaster bolt flying past his head. “That is how this works, right?”

“Yes,” Barriss said, fixing her headwrap as she and Ahsoka moved towards the vent. “Are you sure you can do this, Caz?”

“I’ll be fine,” Caz said, reaching over the cover of boxes and grabbing a clone by his torso. “Go, go!” Ahsoka and Barriss began to scale the piles of boxes as Caz yanked the clone over his head and into the ground. He grabbed the blaster rifle from the clone’s arms and took a second to examine it. Within the few seconds that he had to look it over, he managed to find the stun switch, and turned it on.

He jumped out from the cover and opened fire on the clones, finger not leaving the trigger. Several of them went down in a flurry of blue ringed blasts, collapsing in front of him. He looked down at the blaster with a surprised expression. “So that’s how you use it.”

“Caz!” Ahsoka called from above him, causing the Matukai to glance up at her. She gestured for him to follow, and Caz nodded, right before getting socked in the back of the head by a clone. He staggered forwards, firing more stun bolts as he recovered from the heavy blow.

His vision was spinning, but he managed to down a couple more troopers before he began to scale the boxes. He was forced to drop his rifle in order to climb faster, scrambling up the boxes as blaster bolts singed his robes and grazed his skin. The bolts followed him up as he picked up the pace, shifting around to the back of the box so the clones couldn’t shoot him.

Ahsoka and Barriss beckoned from the open ventilation grate, and Caz balanced on a precarious box, leaning left and right to dodge blaster bolts from the shrieking infested clones. 

“Come on!” Ahsoka hollered, reaching out her hand. Caz looked at it, and jumped for it. He managed to grab on to her hand, but that was about it. As he dangled in the air, he was forced to swing back and forth to dodge more blaster fire. “Kark, you’re heavy!” 

Barriss grabbed Caz’s other hand, and they pulled him up into the shaft. Caz lay on his stomach for a couple seconds, catching his breath. 

“You alright?” Ahsoka asked as Caz rolled himself over, hand going to his heaving stomach. “You don’t look so good.”

“I’ll be alright,” Caz said in between several breaths. “I’m surprised I didn’t get shot.”

“You and me both,” Barriss said honestly, and Caz let out a breathy giggle, before getting onto all fours. “Now, Caz, I do have a plan, if you would like to hear it.”

“I’m all ears,” Caz said as Ahsoka Force-pushed the boxes beneath them to the ground, ensuring that the clones wouldn’t be able to climb up to them. 

“Ahsoka and I will go take out the ship’s thrusters,” Barriss said, silently gesturing for Caz and Ahsoka to follow her down the vents. As they moved throughout the ship, they could hear clone troopers jogging along beneath them armor and weapons clanking. “You’ll head to the aft-comm system and try to get communication out to Masters Kenobi and Fisto.”

“Why am I...why am I going alone?” Caz asked as they hung a right at a crossroads. 

“I believe you can handle yourself just fine,” Barriss said, and Caz’s face glowed at the slight praise. “You have more experience with these parasites than either of us, as well. If you manage to get to Kenobi and Fisto, you’re the most well-equipped to explain this situation to them.”

“Of course,” Caz said with a beaming smile. “I won’t let you down.” He paused, looking down at the blaster bolt singes and marks all over his clothing. “This isn’t how I thought the mission would go.”

“Now isn’t the time for sentiment,” Barriss said firmly, and Caz nodded, rubbing his forearm slowly. “When we make it out of here, I advise you find yourself some armor, or at least keep your weapon closer.”

“Right, yeah,” Caz said as they continued towards the center of the ship. “I thought we would be safe on the Republic cruiser in the middle of hyperspace.” There was a touch of dry humor in there that Ahsoka laughed softly at.

“We’re not safe until we stop this ship from reaching the medical station,” Barriss replied. “If this cruiser makes it there, the infection could become massively widespread. That would be catastrophic, as I’m sure you know.”

Ahsoka bit her lip in reluctance. “I don’t know, Barriss, I think we should stay together. Master Skywalker says that there is safety in numbers.”

“There is truth in that, and I do agree with you, Ahsoka,” Barriss murmured, her crawl slowing to a stop as they sat at a fork in the vents, the one that would take each group on their way to their objectives. “Unfortunately, safety is not a luxury we have right now. One of us has to succeed, somehow. Caz, do what needs to be done. We can make it out alive if we do that.”

“Alive sounds good,” Caz said. “Which way do I go…?”

“Oh, here,” Barriss said, taking off her comlink and handing it to Caz. “This has a map of the frigate. Ahsoka and I will share.”

“Thank you,” Caz said as he placed it on his bracer next to his own. 

“We’ll see you soon,” Ahsoka said as Caz began to crawl down the left passage.

“No doubt,” Caz said, turning and giving them a reassuring smile and thumbs-up. The two Jedi Padawans made their way down the right passage without another word.

Caz stopped for a moment, giving himself time to take a breather. He knew that he needed to be quick, but he also knew he needed time to process what had happened. As a Matukai, his training had put him in dangerous situations before, but he’d never faced what he was facing now. His Master would scold him for not taking it all in stride. 

What had he been expecting, really? Surely not sunshine and rainbows. Caz continued on his way towards the aft-comm center, making sure to be quiet as to not alert the clones below him of his location. The Jedi were at war, had Caz expected anything less? Maybe he’d underestimated the chaos.

He was no veteran, that was for sure.

But that didn’t matter now, Caz figured. He’d just have to move forwards and hope he didn’t get himself killed. He had Barriss, Ahsoka, and everyone on the ship still depending on him.

* * *

It didn’t take Caz too long to find the aft-comm center near the tail of the frigate. His adrenaline from the fight in the storage room had worn off, and the blaster wounds all over his body began to steam and burn, turning an aggressive red. They were practically begging for medical attention, but the medbay was half-way across the ship and probably commandeered by clone troopers.

His hands wrapped around the vent grate above the comm station, eyeing the two clones inside the room, manning the computers. Telling by their unnaturally robotic movements and seeming inability to use the machines, Caz assumed they had been infected. Caz took the grate off as silently as possible--the element of surprise would be his best weapon, since his wan-shen was still on the bridge, and he had abandoned a total of four rifles during the series of battles.

He’d never explicitly learned how to use blasters--using miscellaneous weapons had always been Akysa’s profession. He did, however, beg her to teach him a couple techniques that weren’t in standard Matukai curriculum. He had to stop her before she permanently damaged his ego with her unreserved honesty.

Caz reached out into the Force to check on Ahsoka and Barriss, but didn’t get all that far. Reaching out into the Force as opposed to bringing it inwards had never been his forte, and as such, he could only hope that the two Jedi were alright.

He opened the vent grate, sliding it aside and then jumping into the room below. He landed silently, the Force muffling his footfalls as he snuck up behind the clones, who were stationed in spinning chairs.

He grabbed both their heads and slammed them together, hearing their helmets clunk and the chairs rumbling as they rolled together. They let out groans of pain as Caz lifted them up by the armpits and stuffed them into the comms closet in the room. He hoped there was oxygen in there--he figured there was.

He could see them laying down inside the small broom closet, worms slithering out of their body now that it was unconscious. Fortunately, the worms didn’t have the intelligence to realize that there were no other accessible lifeforms, and Caz could hear them shrieking softly as they died.

If a clone had died, he’d feel a lot worse. The parasites...not so much.

Examining the comm system, he experimentally flicked a few switches, wondering if the ship had a self-destruct button. Eilara had insisted that he learn how to unjam a comms system, and Caz hadn’t exactly listened during her lesson, even though he said she could teach him.

“Something, something...keypad,” Caz said, scanning the control panels until he found a keypad with numbers on it. “Right, okay...cap switch.” He kept one hand on the keypad as his other one hovered over the other switches until he found one with a switch and a twist function. “Now...what did she say the universal code was?”

He sat there for a moment in dead silence, thinking long and hard on Eilara’s voice. She’d helped him remember the code with a rhyme, the same way Sayul taught him footwork for the wan-shen forms. 

“When the comms are jammed and you cannot talk,” Caz recited, staring at the keypad. “Twist the cap like setting a clock.” He twisted the switch cap clockwise, thinking long and hard on the next part of the quartet. “Once that’s done, flip the switch,” he flicked the lever up, still murmuring to himself. “Hold it there, and do not...twitch.” He looked at the lever, which had gone back down, the twist cap going back to its original position. “Shit, shit.” He tried to flick the lever again, to no avail. “Uh, uh...right. If I fail...You have five seconds before alarms will blare, so start at one and hit the corners of the square.”

Caz hit the buttons on the keypad.  _ One, three, nine, seven. _

The twist cap stopped moving, and he breathed a sigh of relief. “Okay, that’s good...now…” He pulled Barriss' comlink off of his arm, plugging it into the system. “Plug that in, and…” He looked around for a slip of paper that contained number codes for each frequency. After a moment of fruitless searching, he took a guess and hit the two key.

After a moment of silence, a green-skinned Nautolan appeared on the small screen in front of him, looking away from the screen. “This is Jedi Master Kit Fisto. Shuttle TB-73, what seems to be the issue?” He turned to the screen, and his dark brown eyes widened slightly. “Who is this?”

“This is Caz Solus,” Caz said with a heavy sigh of relief. “Thank the Force I got it right. Uh, right.” Caz looked around the room furtively, before leaning closer. “I’m with Ahsoka and Barriss...we’re doing a supply run to Dantooine, but we’re...we’re kind of in trouble.”  
“What kind of trouble?” Fisto asked, his brows raising. “Would it explain the lack of check-ins from your ship?”

“I hope so,” Caz said earnestly. “Geonosian parasites managed to get onto the ship. They’ve infected the clones and turned them against us. Barriss said we can’t dock on the medical station until we’ve found a way to stop the infection.”

“And I’m assuming you haven’t found a way yet,” the clone communicator said firmly.

“Obi-Wan might,” Caz said, sparing a glance at the unconscious clones in the closet behind him. “He has a Geonosian parasite that he can experiment on. Until he can give you guys a report, the ship’s under quarantine. Ahsoka said so.” 

“You say Kenobi has a sample,” Fisto said hesitantly, and Caz nodded in confirmation. “However, he’s rather far away on a ship to Coruscant. The star cruisers don’t contain advanced analysis labs, so any information he has will be utterly useless.”

“Not good,” Caz said uneasily, drumming his fingers on the table anxiously. “We’ll figure something out. Barriss and Ahsoka are cutting the thrusters to the ship right now...I can give you our coordinates once we’re pulled out of hypersp--”

“No, you must dock the ship,” Fisto said, his tone staunch and his expression lighthearted, each contrasting the other. Caz looked at Fisto like he was a madman. “The only way we can stop these worms is if they’re analyzed professionally. No disrespect to Master Kenobi, but his skills as an astrobiologist are...limited.”

Caz bit his lip as he thought about it. On one hand, Fisto was right--the best way to stop the infestation was to learn about it and then effectively destroy it. Plus, if Fisto sounded so sure of himself, he’d probably succeed in his endeavor. But on the other hand, on the small chance that the outbreak wasn’t controlled, the casualties would be much higher.

“It’s not a good idea,” Caz said before he could censor himself, his face flushing red. He winced at the sharpness of his words, silently scolding himself for being so brash. “These bugs can bring back the dead, and not exactly in a good way. If they manage to--”

“We will take precautions,” Fisto said calmly, and Caz shut his mouth, rubbing his face with his leather glove. “You will have to trust me, Caz. I promise I’m far more experienced than I look.”

Caz looked at Fisto, all-encompassing brown eyes on green. “I don’t doubt it, but...it’s not my decision to make. It’s Ahsoka’s, or Barriss’. I’m just the messenger.”

“You are the one that is here, Caz,” Fisto replied, and Caz’s lips pressed together. His foot began to tap on the ground. “You must decide, though it’s evident you don’t enjoy making decisions for other people.” 

Caz closed his eyes in thought. Fisto was right. He had no issue deciding his own fate, but when it came to other people...he couldn’t. He couldn’t handle having their lives in his hands.

But he didn’t have a choice.

“Shit…” Caz stared down at Fisto, feeling cold sweat break out on his forehead. His jaw set, and he grimaced. “I’ll have the ship docked within the hour.”

* * *

Now, Caz was not as familiar with technology as Eilara, but he could tell when there was an incoming call in the comms room. It had been fifteen minutes since Fisto’s call, and Caz had just been listening to radio silence. Barriss and Ahsoka had yet to update him on their objective, but Caz wasn’t worried--they were strong, and  _ not _ covered in blaster bolts like he was.

Caz had spent the past ten minutes getting to know the comms system. He’d accidentally contacted a Jedi whose face he did not recognize, as well as almost hailing a group of space pirates to their exact location. On the bright side, he did manage to get a grip on how to use the machinery.

The clones in the closet had woken up and promptly fell asleep again. Caz had to make sure they were alive, and they were, fortunately. Just floating in and out of consciousness due to the effects of the brain worms.

Caz answered the incoming communication, looking down at the screen expectantly. A clone with a blond buzz cut looked at him with a raised eyebrow. Caz sat down in a swivel chair and got comfortable, hoping that whatever they had to say helped him in his situation.

“Cargo ship TB-73, this is clone captain Rex,” Rex said, crossing his arms. “Please respond.”

“Responding,” Caz said into the microphone. “I’m Caz Solus, ally of the Republic and Jedi Order, and not a traitor. If you don’t have Obi-Wan Kenobi on the line I think we’ll have a problem.”

“You’re really convincing me, kid,” Rex said with a grin. “General Skywalker already gave me the rundown. In fact, he’s on his way to talk to you right...now.”

As if on cue, Rex stepped to the side, and the dark-robed Anakin Skywalker came into frame, evidently concerned by the wrinkles between his brows and a strange brightness in his eyes. Caz’s eyebrows crept up further into his hairline. “Caz, what’s going on? Is Ahsoka alright?”

“I’m glad  _ your _ priorities are in order,” Caz said, somewhat jokingly. He looked back at Anakin, and noticed his dead-serious expression. “Ahsoka’s doing fine, last I checked.” Anakin let out a heavy sigh of relief. “Unless one of those brain worms got to her and Barriss.”

“You really know how to ruin a mood,” Anakin said, before freezing. “Wait, brain worms?” Caz nodded, and Anakin’s hand slid down his face as he groaned. “As in the brain worms that gave us a karkton of trouble a couple hours ago?”

“Those are the ones,” Caz muttered, and Anakin closed his eyes and shook his head, seemingly angry. “Have you talked to Obi-Wan recently? Maybe...something about how to  _ kill _ these worms?” The clones began to bang on the door of their prison. “We’re on a clock here.”

“No ideas yet,” Anakin said, grinding his teeth. Caz looked at him with concern. “But make sure you have a wrist comm near you at all times. You’ll be the second one I contact if I have anything.”

“Second to Ahsoka,” Caz said, checking Barriss’ wrist comm on his forearm. “That’s a big step-up from seventh.”

“Stay safe, Caz,” Anakin said with the ghost of a smile, and the call closed itself, leaving Caz in the dimly lit room full of blinking buttons and whirring engines.

“Look who’s talking,” Caz said sarcastically, beginning to program his own Matukai comlink with the Republic frequencies. He only turned from his work when he heard the door hissing open behind him, making him elicit a childish yelp as he spun around. He relaxed as Barriss looked at him from behind a glass holomap. “Oh, hey, I was just talking to Anakin,” Caz said, jerking his thumb at the comms system.” He paused for a moment as he looked at the senior Padawan. “Well, uh...where’s Ahsoka?”

Barriss didn’t respond, and Caz waved slowly. “Uh, hello? Shuttle TB-73 to Barriss Offee, please respond.” He would’ve chuckled at his little joke had Barriss perfectly neutral face not scared the shit out of him. His eyes widened as Barriss began to approach him, movements mechanical. “Oh... _ oh, no _ .”

Caz got up from his seat, stepping away from the holomap as Barriss got closer. Barriss reached out a slender hand and shattered the holomap between them. Caz just managed to throw his arms up in an X over his face as the glass flew towards him. He felt shards embed him all over. He dropped his hands, feeling blood trickling down his palm and through his gloves.

“Barriss, hey,” Caz said placatingly, raising his hands in a sort of surrender. His eyes scanned the room for something to defend himself with as Barriss only got closer and closer. “We’re friends, right? We shared one...really meaningful conversation and...I really think we bond--”

He didn’t get her answer as she launched into the air, her blue lightsaber illuminating the room, giving Caz approximately half a second to swerve out of the way, nearly crashing into the comms system.

“Barriss, seriously!” Caz said as she began to swing her saber at her, slashing up the comms system behind him. He managed to grab the swivel chair from the ground, throwing it at her in order to make time for an escape. She slashed it in half mid-air, and its halves fell at her sides. 

Caz booked for the exit, but Barriss Force-leaped through the air, intercepting him with a rapid series of attacks that nearly decapitated the Matukai. “Barriss, this is my last attempt!” He yelped as he slid to the side of her jab, grabbing her wrist and pulling her towards him. She let out a snarl, and Caz chopped on her forearm, forcing her to drop her lightsaber with a screech.

“That’s it,” Caz said as he pushed her into the steaming and sparking comms system. “You blew it! Now...I’m running for my life. Would you look at that!”

Barriss--or, rather, the brain worm controlling her--was utterly confused by Caz’s statement, which gave the Matukai enough time to make a break for the door, kicking up glass shards as he slid through the door, slamming the control panel as he made his way out. He elbowed the control panel, his steel elbow guard shattering the panel and locking the door.

However, the brain worm seemed to have access to all of Barriss’ regular intelligence as a blue blade protruded from the door directly beside Caz Solus’ heaving form. Caz bolted as the Padawan began to carve an entrance out of the locked door.

Caz hung a right down the corridor and almost crashed into Ahsoka Tano. He let out a heavy sigh of relief. “Oh, Ahsoka, thank the Force. Barriss, she’s--” he cut himself off and staggered backwards, a green blade nearly slashing him in half. “Not you, too…”

He turned on his heel and was about to book it again, when Barriss came storming down the hallway. With two blades on him, Caz lifted his arms in surrender. “Do you have the brainpower to take me alive?” 

Barriss attempted to stab him again, and Caz leaned to the side again, Ahsoka’s lightsaber sliding between the crook of his arm and torso. “I guess not.”

Caz began to dodge Barriss and Ahsoka’s attacks, their lightsabers getting far too close to turning the Matukai to mincemeat. He took a moment to glance around his surroundings, noticing a ventilation grate a few feet away.

He took his chance, dipping beneath Ahsoka’s blade and grabbing her shoulders, shoving her into the wall as gently as possible. He grabbed her arm, twisted it, and snatched her saber while he had the chance. He held it up against Barriss, who attempted to attack him. However, Caz turned and ran for the ventilation grate. 

He stabbed the blade into the grate, using both hands to carve an entrance. Barriss managed to Force-pull the lightsaber out of his hands, but by the time that happened, Caz had already leapt into the vents, leaving nothing but a steaming grate to prove he was there.

Ahsoka and Barriss stabbed their sabers into the vents, dragging their blades along. Caz let out a shriek and began to scramble away on all-fours, pulling up a map of the ship and hurriedly debating on where to go next. 

Once he made it to a crossroads, he watched as the blades diverged, and then turned around and began to make his way back from where he had come. He took his chance and dropped into the first room he got to, which happened to be the temperature regulation room. The coolant systems stared him in the face, the temperature of the ship slowly rising.

“Guess the worms like it hot,” Caz said to himself as he leaned against the wall, sliding into a sitting position and looking down at himself. His clothing was in tatters, covered in blaster bolts, lightsaber burns, and glass sharks. With a pained expression, he took his gloves off and began to pull some of the shallower shards out of his upper body. 

After a few minutes of him pulling shards out, followed by groans and whines, Caz’s arm vibrated. Caz slapped it, as if it were a bug on his bracer, only to realize that someone was contacting him from his comlink.

“Thought the systems were disabled by Barriss when she slashed it up,” Caz muttered as he answered the call. “Who’s this?”

“This is Anakin,” Anakin said from the other line, and Caz let out a whimpering sigh. “You alright?”

“No,” Caz said, hissing as he pulled a shard out of his middle finger. “What’ve you got for me, Anakin?”

“The worms...they’re affected by the cold,” Anakin said hesitantly. “Caz, you sound exhausted.”

“Anakin, I have some bad news,” Caz said as he looked up at the coolant system. “And some good news. Good news is, I’m in the temp control room. Bad news is, Ahsoka and Barriss are infected.” 

“What?” Anakin said, a bit of anger bleeding into his voice. “Caz, how--”

“I’m sorry, Anakin,” Caz said with a grimace. “I should’ve known it would’ve happened. But fortunately, they’re alive. I think I can save them.”

Anakin didn’t respond, and Caz looked down at his comlink, only to find that the signal had died out. “How’d he even learn how the worms are affected, anyways? Fisto said flagships didn’t have analysis labs.”

Caz grabbed the coolant control lever and yanked it all the way down, ice-cold steam filling the room and getting sucked out by the vents. The temperature dropped rapidly, and Caz’s body began to steam, radiating heat and keeping him from the cold.

Suddenly, Caz tumbled into the wall as the ship lurched forwards, coming out of hyperspace. His face smashed against the cold metal wall, his hands almost sticking to the frost on the steel. Caz peeling himself away, and opened the door out of the temp control room.

He sprinted towards the bridge as fast as he could, the doors passing him by and becoming nothing but a blur. The ship was making a beeline for the medical station, and Caz had a sinking feeling the worms would take the clones and Jedi Padawans down to the grave with them.

He needed to get there before that happened, needed Fisto to get a medical extraction team to remove the worms from them, or something. Anything.

He didn’t want Ahsoka and Barriss to die, truthfully. No one on the ship deserved to die, and Caz had to make sure that they made it out of here alive.

* * *

Caz’s Matukai training had yet to fail him, but the subzero temperatures of the medical frigate might just do it for him. His body was still steaming and warding off the heat, but he could feel parts of his body getting cold. He’d only ever learned how to regulate the temperature of his core, not the extremities. So, he wrapped his arms around his chest and continued on.

He’d passed several writhing clones already. He’d had to knock a few of them unconscious and pull the worms out of their orifices, stamping them out. His pace was quick and relentless, as the ship was about to take a dive into the medical station, but he didn’t want to leave anybody in pain as he passed them by. Especially since their pain was indirectly his fault.

By the time he’d reached the bridge entrance, his pants had frozen solid against his legs, sweat from the desert turning to ice in his clothing. He looked around for an air vent, reluctant to enter the frigid tunnel of steel. 

He jumped upwards, his clothing scraping on his skin as he yanked the grate down. Leaving the grate on the frosty, misted ground, he jumped into the vent, getting on all fours and beginning his crawl into the bridge. The vents were full of mist and ice, and Caz’s internal temperature began to drop rapidly, his arms going numb and his jaw getting stiff. He forced himself to ignore it as he kicked in another grate, jumping down into the cockpit

His legs buckled beneath his body weight, surprising Caz greatly. He hit the ground face-first. He’d always prided himself on physical capabilities, so his body failing him hurt him a lot more than it should’ve.

Pushing to his feet, he stumbled to the navigation controls, hands grasping the pilot’s seat as he threw himself into it, slouching into the chair as his legs began to freeze solid. His wan-shen was leaning on the left side of the control panel, and his hand reached out to grab it, frozen fingers clamping around it. Caz let out a sigh of relief, as if he was just reunited with an old friend. The steel handles of the hilt were ice-cold, but Caz knew it would be better dying with it than without it.

Caz began to press buttons rapidly all over the control panel, the medical frigate and the planet it was orbiting rapidly coming into view. He opened all comms, too cold to type in any individual frequencies, and spoke into the emptiness of space. “Hello, this is shuttle TB-73. I’m shutting down engines in order to further drop the temper--gah!”

He was cut off from his message as the blue blade of a lightsaber came crashing down where his hand used to be. Thankfully, muscle memory kept him from becoming an amputee. Whirling around in his chair, he turned to face Barriss and Ahsoka, staring at him with empty eyes and ignited blades.

Caz got to his feet, one hand still clamped around the wan-shen, almost frozen solid. He looked at them and pulled his weapon closer, feeling a little more sure about his chances of survival now that he had a decent weapon. 

The Matukai glanced between the two Jedi Padawans, guilt pooling in his stomach and cooling his adrenaline. They were his allies, his friends. He couldn’t fight them with his blade. 

He forced his hand open, and the wan-shen clattered to the ground with a series of metallic  _ tinks _ . Caz breathed air into his hands, and called upon the Force to warm him up again. His frozen bones began to thaw, and his body began to steam, melting the frost right out of the air.

“Can I compel you to surrender?” Caz asked as he shifted a leg back into a defensive position. “I won’t hurt you.”

Barriss and Ahsoka growled, and lunged for him. Caz’s eyes were on their blades, and missed Ahsoka’s flying kick to his head. He slammed into the control panel, his head throbbing with pain as he hit the ground. He just barely managed to roll away as a blade plunged into the ground beside him.

Caz kicked Ahsoka away from him, before sweeping a foot beneath Barriss and knocking the Mirialan to the ground. He flipped to his feet, grabbing his wan-shen and using it to slash through the coolant pipe on the ceiling. Grabbing the thick pipe with both hands, he hung from it and aimed it at the Jedi Padawans.

They began to scream and claw at their faces as the freezing mist blasted them. Caz grimaced as they dropped to the ground, writhing and convulsing in pain. He just had to wait until the worms exposed themselves, then he could pull--

“Kill me...please…”

Caz froze solid as he heard the pained voice of Ahsoka. He let go of the coolant tube and looked down at the limp Padawans with a horrified expression, his eyes glazing over as he heard Vash’s voice echoing in his mind. “I--Ahsoka--what? I’m not gonna…no!”

“Please…” Barriss echoed, and Caz’s eyes widened even more, nearly pooling with tears. “Caz…”

Hearing Barriss say his name sparked hope within the Matukai--he could still get to her. He knelt down before the two Padawans, placing a hand on Barriss’ shoulder. “You know I can’t do that, Barriss. You’ll be out of this soon.”

Barriss looked up at him, and something  _ human _ sparked in her eyes. Relief bled through her expression, and she went limp in his hands. Caz let out a strangled noise. “No, Barriss!” His hand went to her neck, where he could feel a faint pulse. He slumped again. “Oh, thank Caraya.”

Ahsoka let out an unearthly shriek from beside him, and Caz didn’t have time to react as she launched towards him, tackling him and pinning him onto the ground. Her jaw began to unhinge, eyes rolling to the back of her head as the worm made one last attempt to save itself. The worm began to wriggle onto Caz’s face, sliding over his skin and making for his nose. Caz shoved Ahsoka off of him, the Togruta sliding across the room and meeting the wall, unconscious. Caz fumbled for the worm on his face, numb hands no match for the worm’s mindless thrashing.

The worm began to slither up his nose, and Caz snorted out of it, finally managing to grab the worm and crush it in his gloved fist. The worm let out a small scream as it was reduced to a green-yellow pulp, and Caz went limp, his hand hitting the ground at the same time as his head.

He was exhausted. He hadn’t slept in several days. Generally, it wouldn’t be that intolerable for him, but this made his body go limp, muscles straining and bones creaking.

Caz could hear Ahsoka and Barriss breathing faintly as his eyes closed, and he breathed his own sigh of relief. After the cold, the horror, and the mass confusion, there was peace. Caz was victorious. His head turned to Barriss, and he could see a shriveled Geonosian worm a few inches from his face.

“Ah…” Caz groaned as he relaxed, letting his eyes roll back as he fell to sleep.

It wasn’t much longer after that when Kit Fisto and his clones managed to board the ship, starting at the mess hall and moving all the way up to the bridge, taking in every clone with only two casualties to speak of, both of them clones whose worms took them down with them.

Fisto and his clone medic opened the cockpit door, looking down on the three young individuals lying on the ground. The two Jedi Padawans were blissfully unconscious, and the Matukai’s eyes were half-way open. His green irises met Fisto’s, and a smile broke his frost-covered face. “He--hey! I’m--I’m ready to” --he coughed up what looked like a bit of blood-- “deliver the supplies.”

He was clearly delirious from a number of factors--cold, physical, pain, exhaustion, the general overwhelming feeling that was paired with a galactic war. Fisto got down next to him, rolling his eyes closed. “I can handle that. You need not worry, Matukai.”

Caz’s soft smile remained, and he managed to nod almost imperceptibly. Fisto nodded to the medic, and he provided each unconscious individual with a quick bacta injection and painkillers.

“You’ve done well,” Fisto said to no one in particular as the frigate docked at the medical station.

* * *

Anakin would’ve yelled at Caz for what happened to Ahsoka, but that would’ve meant whaling on a hospitalized man with too many injuries to count. Not to mention that Ahsoka and Barriss, minus a couple bumps and bruises, were free of severe injuries. This included frostbite. Caz, however, was covered in cuts, burns, and massive bruises. It also seemed that his skin was reddish pink and hot to the touch. The sentient medics had to make way for the medical droids to care for him until he cooed off.

However, the nurses said that Caz would make a full recovery.

Anakin watched them carefully from his seat near the window, the cold dark silence of space the only comfort for him beside the fact that his Padawan was alive. Obi-Wan was in the next room over running tests on the brain worms, but he had come in to check on Caz and the Padawans a few moments earlier.

Now they rested in white hospital clothes. Ahsoka and Barriss’ robes were being washed, and Caz’s clothing was in a small bag, damaged beyond repair. Obi-Wan stated that his clothing shouldn’t be disposed of; maybe the Matukai had a tradition involving it.

Caz jolted awake in the hospital bed, making the IV drip in his arm rattle a bit. He looked around, his eyes meeting Anakin’s. The distress in his face melted away as he looked at Anakin, a smile creeping up into his expression. “So, I didn’t die?”

“Doesn’t look like it,” Anakin said, leaning forwards as Caz tried to sit up. “Now, hold on. The doctor said you shouldn’t move. You had some internal bleeding from the blaster wounds. Don’t want that blood sloshing around in there.” Anakin laughed lightheartedly as Caz shimmed back down, face paling.

“I’m not a big fan of hospitals,” Caz said honestly, pulling the hospital sheet off of himself. “Where are my robes?”

“They’re right there,” Anakin said, pointing at a white cloth satchel across the room. “They’re not looking so hot. But, to be fair, neither are you.”

“Ouch,” Caz said with a joking wince, before looking to his side. Ahsoka and Barriss were still sleeping peacefully, heart rate monitors beeping back and forth like it was a competition. “They’re alright?”

“Yeah, they are,” Anakin said in a sober tone. “Thank you, Caz.”

“I didn’t do anything special,” Caz said, looking back at Anakin and shifting his body onto its side. “I was just doing what any good person would do.”

“Normal people wouldn’t do what you did,” Anakin said, raising his eyebrow. “The medic said you had 73 shallow wounds and 17 deep ones. That’s a lot.”

“Speaks to my competency,” Caz said brightly, and Anakin scoffed. Caz looked back over at the satchel with his robes in it, and his face went white as a sheet. “Oh, no...what am I gonna tell the Council?” Anakin looked confused, and Caz corrected himself. “The  _ Matukai _ Council. They’re gonna be pissed when I come back looking like this. I’m going to be scolded six ways from Sionsday.”

“Well, we can’t help you with that,” Kit Fisto said as he entered the medbay with his signature charming smile, “but we do have the experiment results on that worm you crushed in your hand.” Caz looked sheepish. “It  _ is _ the same as the worm Kenobi possesses, and we’ve managed to find a material that the worms cannot stand--ice cubes. A simple brain freeze will liberate any infected clone.”

“The most difficult problems always have the simplest solutions,” Kenobi said from behind Fisto, waving at Caz. “Perhaps you can just tell the truth to the Matukai Council--tell them you saved lives.”

“That could work,” Caz said as he lay prone in the hospital bed, thinking about it. 

“Either way, we will need to send word to the troops on Geonosis,” Anakin said firmly. “This is probably the reason those bugs retook the planet again. Send them a box of..ice cubes?”

“If it works, it works,” Fisto said with a wink, before heading out the door.

Caz turned back to Anakin with a solemn expression, his green eyes hardening as he looked at the Jedi. Skywalker raised an eyebrow, silently urging Caz to speak his mind. “Anakin, when Ahsoka and Barriss were under the parasites’ influence, they…” He trailed off, pursing his lips in determination. “...they told me to--they went through some really painful stuff. Please keep an eye on them. I’m sure it was even more agonizing then what I could see.”

Anakin nodded, and then spoke, tone sincere. “I will, Caz. You take care of yourself.”

“I try,” Caz said, leaning forwards a bit. “Now, don’t tell them I said this, but I’m a little jealous of them.” Anakin laughed. “Not in a weird way, just that using a lightsaber was  _ so cool _ . I got to hold Ahsoka’s for a second” --he imitated holding a lightsaber with one hand-- “and just...wow. It’s so awesome.”

“You’re jealous of us because of our lightsabers?” Barriss said from behind Caz, and the Matukai’s ears turned a bright red. 

“Uh...that’s not what I said,” Caz said after a pause. “That’s...what I said.”

“Well, I have good news for you,” Anakin said, clasping his hands together. “Master Fisto spoke with Windu on your endeavor.” Caz’s face reddened, probably expecting some insults straight from Windu. “Next week, the Jedi Council will convene to speak on an alliance between the Matukai and the Jedi.” 

Hope blossomed on Caz’s face. “No...you’re being serious?”

“Very serious,” Anakin said with a nod, and Caz smiled ear to ear. “Your job is getting the Matukai Council to agree.” Caz frowned, but continued to nod. “I’m sure it won’t be...too hard, right?”

“Right,” Caz replied.

“If you get them to agree, I’ll gladly spar with you in one of the training rooms,” Anakin said, pointing to the lightsaber on his hip. “Maybe I’ll teach you a couple moves.”

Caz attempted to get out of his bed again, and Anakin gently pushed him back with the Force. Caz grunted, but didn’t move again. “Alright, Anakin. Once I’m better, I’ll go speak with the Council! And if I come back alive, that means they agreed!”

Anakin nodded, and Caz took a deep breath.

It was time to face the music.


End file.
